THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE: VISHNU ANANTASHAYANA
Provincial Pahari Hills, Northern India, late 19th century

Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, the horizontal composition depicting one of the most renowned cosmographic myths of creation, the Hindu god Vishnu reclined on the infinite multi-headed snake Shesha dreaming about the creation of the world, his caring consort massaging his foot, from the navel of the god a lotus flower emerges carrying the multi-headed god of creation, Brahma, Garuda and Shiva on the upper right corner paying tribute to the powerful Creator, set in an oval cartouche framed within black and white rules, and the typical Kangra-style white rosette floral border on dark blue ground, mounted, glazed and framed, 25.5cm x 31.5cm including the frame.