The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Cover for a Box Decorated with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesha
c. 1800
Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin 1989.353.b
Location: 242B Indian Painting
Did You Know?
Ganesha’s mount is the rat by his left knee.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.
- ?–1968(William H. Wolff, Inc., New York, NY, sold to Severance and Greta Millikin)1968–1989Severance A. [1895–1985] and Greta [Marguerite Steckerl] Millikin [1903–1989], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art1989–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Catalogue of the Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1990. Mentioned: cat. no. 196, p. 92.
- Carpets and Canopies in Mughal India (Indian art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 22-September 8, 2024).Nature Supernatural (Indian Painting rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 22, 2023-March 3, 2024).The Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 5-September 2, 1990).
- {{cite web|title=Cover for a Box Decorated with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesha|url=false|author=|year=c. 1800|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1989.353.b