Add to Collection

Add this item to an existing or new collection.
Harvard Art Museums
Incorrect Username, Email, or Password
This object does not yet have a description.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1969.174
People
Attributed to Jai Kisan of Malpura, Indian
Title
Shiva's Half-Body Form (Shiva Ardhanareshvara) (painting, recto), from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series
Other Titles
Former Title: Birth of the Ganges from Shiva's Head, from a Ragamala Series (Garland of Melodies)
Classification
Manuscripts
Work Type
manuscript folio
Date
c. 1756
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Malpura
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216322

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and beetle shell on paper
Dimensions
30.7 x 20.4 cm (12 1/16 x 8 1/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Eric Schroeder, Cambridge, MA (by 1969), gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1969.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Eric Schroeder
Accession Year
1969
Object Number
1969.174
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Description
In this painting, the Hindu god Shiva appears as Ardhanareshvara (literally, the lord who is half-woman). The Ardhanareshvara form of Shiva dances, with the body split into half, where the male aspect of Shiva is depicted blue-skinned, while the feminine aspect, denoted by his wife, the goddess Parvati, is depicted with flesh tones. Ardhanareshvara holds a trident and a damaru-drum in their hand, both attributes of Shiva. At their feet are Nandi, the bull and a tiger, the vehicles of Shiva and Parvati respectively. The Ardhanareshvara form here is conflated with another form of Shiva: the Gangadhara Shiva, a form that depicts him bearing the flow of the divine river Ganges in his matted hair as she descends on earth. In the painting, the Ganges emerges from his topknot, which is bejeweled with a beetle wing fragment which creates a luminous effect. Ardhanareshvara is placed within a rocky formation, with lush flora and fauna. The accompanying text on top offers a hymn and a salutation to lord Shiva whose form is described.

This folio belongs to a Ragamala or "Garland of Ragas" series produced in Malpura. The text in the top register of the folio in this series is written alternatively in gold and silver. The use of such precious materials might suggest elite patronage. The artist Jai Kisan completed the series in 1756 CE, as mentioned in the colophon on the reverse of the last folio (HAM 1963.74). Three other folios of the same series are in the Harvard Art Museums’ collections: 1963.73, 1963.74, 1969.174. Rajput, Rajasthani, Malpura School.

Exhibition History

  • The Music Room, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/22/1984 - 11/11/1984
  • Where Traditions Meet: Painting in India from the 15th-17th Centuries, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/05/2003 - 12/07/2003
  • 32Q: 2590 South and Southeast Asia, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 03/20/2015 - 07/21/2015
  • Water Stories: river goddesses, ancestral rites, and climate crisis, Radcliffe Institute Johnson-Kulukundis Family Gallery, 09/18/2023 - 12/16/2023

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu