An unusual crown seemingly made from sharp spines is held in place by a band of lotus petals. It is impossible to meet the gaze of Her raised brow without shuddering at the thought of one's own share of adharma. A fierce mouth completes the countenance framed by dangling kundalas from each ear. The rest of Her shringar comprises of necklaces cascading down Her torso, and a bunch of amulets and anklets that clothe Her gracious limbs. The pedestal She is sitting on is at the centre of an even larger pedestal, the base of which is engraved with lotus petals. From the base pedestal emerges a statement prabhavali (aureole) rimmed with flames that are a symbol of the destruction of adharma.
Balucharies are known to tell a story. The endpiece of this variety of Indian sarees are embroidered with contrasting coloured threads, such as pale gold against the deep shimmering pink of this one. Repetitive panels depicting moments of Radha-Krishna's togetherness are punctuated by rows of minsicule paisleys on the endpiece, and a panel of the lone Radha dancing runs through the centre. The border despite the narrowness is intricately embroidered with scenes from the Gita, as is the norm with these BEngali silks. As gorgeous as Indian silks get, we suggest you team this with the best of your gold hand-me-down pieces.
Amidst the gently blooming, pale pastel-coloured petals of the freshwater lotus, She sits with Her ankles crossed and knees raised. She strums the beautifully tattooed veena to make such divine music that makes the clouds in the background swim across the sky and the waters of the stream in the foreground swirl. The angulature of the curves of Her beauteous torso and the wisps of rich green silk that float about Her betray the fact that the deity is motioning to Her own music. From the flowers in Her black hair complementing the haloed gold crown, as minimalistic as the rest of Her shringar, to the gorgeous landscape that surrounds Her, each element of nature in this thangka is highly characteristic of this type of Tibetan Buddhist painting.
She sits on the floor in the fullness of her own company, probably putting together the bestu varas gifts for her mother- and sisters-in-law. The just-right afternoon light illuminates her workroom. On the rustic straw mat she is sitting on are her sewing supplies spread about her. Her legs are crossed, with one knee raised to support her wrists as the fingers motion dexterously through the embroidery. Zoom in on her hands to admire the lifelike beauty of her long, artisan fingers. She eyes her work with love, pleased with the way the embroidery is turning out. Her lashes are lowered in the direction of her hands, their sublime thickness setting off the beauty of her long nose and full mouth.
This painting is bound to fill your space with an abundance of colour. The Devi is seated in lalitasana, Her form bedecked in brightly coloured silks and shringar, the most notable of which is the thick orange garland that cascades from the neck all the way down to the floor. Her gold kundalas and nath (nosering) and crown against the jet black tresses about Her shoulders and waist, are huge and go with the ultra-feminine makeup on Her divine countenance. Not one but two peacocks are on either side of Her. While She is shown seated on a bed of colourful flowers, the foreground is dominated by a freshly blooming lotus. Note the vibrant red background that hints at something of a court of the Devi in question.
Bronze has been the preferred metal of sculpturors since time immemorial. Even though sculptures of brass are more abundant due to the commercial availability of the alloy - especially across the Exotic India website - it is bronze that has a more artistic, elite whiff to it. The members of the Chola dynasty constituted the key patron group of bronze sculpture, who demanded great skill in this art form, funded innovative methods that have gone down in history, and caused the golden age of bronze casting to flourish in the subcontinent.
The thangka has all the hallmarks of Tibetan art. A vivid colour palette, Dikapals and other guardian deities that flank the central figure, and a cheerful lotus pedestal. From the bejewelled gold crown and the halo rimmed with gold petals to the entirety of His delicate shringar, the sheer amount of gold in this thangka matches the generous proportions of red that characterise the Neweari style. In each of His hands are objects of dharmic significance, more of which are painted against the dense turquoise background. Note how fiercely He guards His favourite laddooes from toppling over as He dances with a bowlful in one of His hands.
The natural pigments that are used for the chitras look great on this patta. While themes usually revolve around Jagannath (for the obvious reasons) and avataras of Krishna, this pattachitra depicts the Ardhanarishvara instead. The deity is stands on a blooming lotus with the seated Nandi muzzling Shiva's feet. Parvati's saree is long and flowing, while Shiva is draped in an austere tigerskin. Her shringar is ampler and more feminine than the grim bands of rudraksha on His limbs. The curves of Her anatomy are more defined, Her thick straight tresses cascade down Her back while His wavey locks are flying in the wind. His jatamukuta is complemented by Her luxuriant crown. Winged celestial beauties floating amidst the clouds on either side of the pattachitra on top complete the composition.
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