THE HINDU GODDESS OF WEALTH, LAKSHMI, BATHED BY TWO ELEPHANTS
Thanjavur (Tanjore), Tamil Nadu, South India, mid to late 19th century

THE HINDU GODDESS OF WEALTH, LAKSHMI, BATHED BY TWO ELEPHANTS
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE GERMAN COLLECTION
Thanjavur (Tanjore), Tamil Nadu, South India, mid to late 19th century

Opaque pigments, gold leaf and sukka (limestone paste) on wood, the vertical composition depicting the Hindu goddess of Wealth and Fortune, Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, sitting cross-legged on a large lotus throne, wearing a heavily encrusted golden headdress topped by a wheel-like finial, several gold necklaces with floral medallions, and a golden robe, a ceremonial garland of fresh flowers around her shoulders, holding two lotus flowers in her upper hands, the latter two hands featuring the abhaya (reassurance, fear-not) and the varada (wish-fulfillment) mudras, the goddess flanked by two elephants bathing her with golden lotas jugs, in the upper corners winged cherubs performing the same blissful action, the scene set underneath a lobed golden arch with a kirtimukkha mask at the top and two makaras to the sides, within a templar complex with linear columns and an encrusted frieze supported by lotus capitals, against a bright red and blue background, mounted, glazed and framed, 79cm x 64cm including the frame.

For further reference on devotional icons from Tanjore, please see B. Rossi, From the Ocean of Painting, India's Popular Paintings, 1589 to the Present, 1998, pp.82 - 89. A similar painting featuring Shiva and Parvati on the Bull Nandi successfully sold in these Rooms, 25 October 2019, lot 341.

Dimensions: 79cm x 64cm including the frame