Artwork Page for Kartikeya, from a Kalighat album

Details / Information for Kartikeya, from a Kalighat album

Kartikeya, from a Kalighat album

c. 1890

Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat

Medium
Gum tempera, graphite, ink, and tin on paper
Measurements
Secondary Support: 47.8 x 29.1 cm (18 13/16 x 11 7/16 in.); Painting only: 45.8 x 28.2 cm (18 1/16 x 11 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward 2003.151
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Here Kartikeya, god of war and son of Shiva and Parvati, born to annihilate the demon Taraka, is provocatively depicted as a dandy. Sitting astride his vehicle, the peacock, Kartikeya has a Prince Albert hairstyle and buckled European shoes. Fashionably draping his shawl, Karitkeya’s backdrop is a halo created by the peacock’s tail. The painting integrates prevailing Bengali social mores with traditional images and themes.
A vertically oriented gum tempera painting on light paper depicts Kartikeya, a man with a light skin tone, mustache, and nose ring, seated atop a peacock. He wears a patterned red hat, numerous silver necklaces, and white pants. Dense dark blue-green feather shapes fan out behind his yellow torso. Below him, the peacock has a blue body and brown legs, its neck curving between his legs. Bold outlines define the figures.

Kartikeya, from a Kalighat album

c. 1890

Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat

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