From the background of it, it looks like she has emerged quite a distance from her palace. The fields around her are plain and a pale green; and not a single tree or bush tended to by the famously skilled Mughal gardeners are within view any longer. A soufflé of the highly characteristic cirrocumulus clouds dominate the skies visible at a distance into the background. Just like those clouds, the princess seems to have wandered in her thoughts to a time, probably to an individual, that the scent of the flower reminds her. Her composure of countenance - and what a fair, soft-featured countenance that is - is one of plunging solemnity, almost sombre. Perhaps no sleep is slated to visit her aching mind the ensuing night.
The lines smithed onto the gold are unmistakable. The simple loincloth, the signature goad, and the thick tail flourishing in the background are all indispensable elements of His iconography. A multi-tiered turban and a chunky necklace thrown across His torso are all He has by way of shringar. He is seated on one knee, and the hand that is not holding the goad is raised in blessing. It is not simply the superior gold workmanship that makes this pendant so desirable - it is also the spiritual functionality of the Lord's blessings that you could wear on your person.
Despite the anger her pretty little mouth is contorted in, an eerie calm lines her brow. The sombre Radha-Krishna couple in the background are figments of her imagination, as she tries to console herself with how the divine lover had made Radha wait endless hours for Him, only to finally come to Her and pacify Her. Radha has turned Her face away from Her Krishna, whilst He draws Her close and offers His explanations. It is His divine conduct that she expects out of her mortal lover, who would walk in through those dark red velvet curtains any moment now. She awaits him, having arranged a tray of wine and fruits within an arm's reach to serve to him, while she plays with a peacock feather to keep herself from losing her temper.
This bronze rendition of Her has been handpicked from the studios of local artisans in Swamimalai, the home of contemporary bronze tradition. It was the rulers of the Chola dynasty who patronised bronze sculptors in their kingdom, resulting in a superlative reputation for the South to this day. This Ma Kali sculpture bears the hallmarks of a fine Southern bronze. A highly polished, supersmooth finish; an iconography replete with the the inverted-lotus pedestal; and a standard of aesthetics that most devotional art could merely aspire to. What adds greatly to the composition is the multi-tiered aureole set off by a ring of fire, which complements the flaming halo behind Her head.
Adding to its beauty is the gorgeous embroidery done in fiery pastels such as red, orange, and blue. The zigzag weave that you could zoom in on has a special name, kinnauri, that is endemic to Himachal Pradesh. There are three thick and spaced out panels of coloured weave from the border upwards, which dominate the field of the shawl. Its inky black base colour, interspersed with some inevitable bits of white observable upon zooming, serves to bring out the charm of the kinnauri. Team this with a statement evening saree at a gala in the height of the winters.
It comes with an adjustable cord, so you could arrange it to spread comfortably around your shoulders or turn it into an ethnic choker. The central chunk of cut-glass chunk has been ground into a wider piece with its lower edge polished to imitate the silhouette of petals. Along the lower edge of the whole necklace is a multitude of pearly white and red drops of miniscule proportions. Similar ones are to be found along the lower edge of the earrings as well. Let this vivid-coloured set become your signature ethnic accessory by teaming it with your everyday Indian suits and sarees.
It is a very delicate moment between husband and wife. She is clearly not succeeding in her pure, womanly endeavour given the translucence of the fabric. Her beauty, despite the nakedness, lies within the sacred precinct of her husband's singular presence, whose gaze she returns helplessly, almost pleadingly. Her skin is a roseate fair, the the dull gold of her ornaments almost blending in with her complexion. The soft, rounded features of her face make for a beauty that pleases as opposed to one that pleasures, that is inspiring and not intimidating. The dark green of the background brings out the subject, and the disarray she is in, with perfection.
The Ardhanarishvara stands against a background of dense sunset-coloured clouds. A network of green vines and pink and white blooms frame the figure, like a natural aureole. The central figure is formed in the best proportions of both the male and the female forms, the distinction between the two given away by colour as well as silhouette. Decked up in streams of pearly white shringar, the silk clothing of the divine is held below the navel by a kirtimukha brooch and floats about the figure as if floating. The pale blue clouds at the feet of Devi Parvati and the blue jets of stream at Lord Shiva's complement the vibrant colour palette that dominates the composition. The soothing effect of these colours are matched the superb calm on the beauteous face of the divine.
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