Artwork Page for Box decorated with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesha

Details / Information for Box decorated with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesha

Box decorated with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesha

c. 1800

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Jaipur

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Medium
gold with enamel
Measurements
Overall: 4.5 x 6.3 cm (1 3/4 x 2 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin 1989.353
Public Domain
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Location
242B Indian Painting
Print
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Did You Know?

Shiva’s mount is the bull; the tiger is the mount of his wife.

Description

This box is covered in a variety of birds, animals, and plants. The central motifs on the lids include images of four Hindu gods: Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu, and Ganesha. The blue figures are Vishnu and Krishna, the latter of which is an incarnation of the former who is shown playing a flute. The elephant-headed Ganesha is red and accompanied by his mount, the bandicoot rat Dinka. The four-armed Shiva is paired with two animals, including a tiger and his sacred bull mount Nandi.

Small enamel boxes could be used to house many different substances, from cosmetics to spices to stimulants, including opium and paan, a digestive typically given at formal gatherings as a sign of the host’s hospitality.
Square enamel box with short legs and tent-shaped lid, topped with a nob mimicking the shape of the box with softened edges. Against a gold background, on the lower half of the box a central red-petaled flower extends into green and red floral patterns and is flanked by white birds. On the lid, a four-armed god in white enamel is flanked by a white bull and tiger, floral patterns behind them.

Box decorated with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesha

c. 1800

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Jaipur

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