Object Number | A575 |
Current Location | Collections Storage |
Culture | Indian | Hindu |
Provenience | India | Gujarat | Kutch |
Period | 20th Century |
Date Made | Early 20th Century |
Section | Asian |
Materials | Silk |
Technique | Embroidered | Dyed | Woven |
Iconography | Vishnu | Krishna | Chandra | Ganesha | Bahuchara Mata | Shiva | Nanda | Lakshmi | Matsya | Narasimha | Hiranyakashipu | Hanuman | Rama | Sita | Varaha | Kurma | Kartikeya | Durga | Mahishasura | Surya |
Description | Embroidered border, likely created for a form of religious hanging, perhaps a pichhwai (figurative textile hung behind the image of Krishna in Hindu shrines). Black silk twill embroidered in chain stitch with multicolored silk threads. This form of embroidery, worked with a small hook (aari), was a specialty of the Mochi community in Kachchh (Kutch). The design displays Hindu deities, especially incarnations of Vishnu, of which there are many interpretations. From left to right: Chandra (the moon god) being pulled in a chariot; Ganesha (identified by his Elephant head); Bahuchara Mata (riding a rooster vahana, or animal vehicle); Shiva riding Nandi (the bull); Lakshmi with two elephants; Matsya (the giant fish); Narasimha defeating Hiranyakashipu; Hanuman (the monkey) with Ram and Sita seated in a palanquin; Varaha (the boar); Kurma (the giant tortoise); Kartikeya on a peacock vahana; Krishna playing the flute; Durga slaying Mahishasura; Hanuman lifting Sanjeevani mountain; and Surya (the sun god) being pulled by a chariot. |
Length | 108 cm |
Width | 25.5 cm |
Credit Line | Purchased from F. P. Bhumgara & Company, 1904 |
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