THE HINDU GODDESS KALI
Kangra, Pahari Hills, North India, late 19th century

THE HINDU GODDESS KALI
Kangra, Pahari Hills, North India, late 19th century

Opaque pigments and gold on paper, the vertical composition depicting the black-skinned, four-armed Hindu goddess Kali, holding up her typical attributes such as the sword, the axe, the bowl to contain her enemies' blood and the lotus flower, seated on Shiva's corpse, identified by his damaru (hourglass-shaped drum), his snake necklace and the crescent moon on his forehead, under a floral canopy immersed in a lush vegetal landscape and in front of a lotus pond, within a floral frame and red-speckled pink borders, 32.3cm x 23.1cm.