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GANESH, GAJALAXMI
AND SARASWATI
JAIPUR, CIRCA 1880
Gouache on paper pasted on board
heightened with gold
Image: 15 x 21.25 in (38.4 x 54.5 cm)
Folio: 17.5 x 23.5 in (44.5 x 60.2 cm)
Rs 10,00,000 ‒ 15,00,000
$ 14,930 - 22,390
NON‒EXPORTABLE
REGISTERED ANTIQUITY
PROVENANCE
Property from a Distinguished Family
Collection
This richly detailed painting shows Gajalaxmi flanked by two elephants pouring
water from vessels held in their trunks. The goddess is shown on a fully bloomed
lotus emerging from the lake. She holds two lotuses in her rear arms and is seen
showering money from the palms of her hands in the front. To her left, Lord
Ganesha is seated on a throne, seen with two attendants. His
vahana
Mooshika,
the mouse, is by his side. A plate of
modaks
lies next to him. To the right of
Gajalaxmi is Goddess Saraswati, identified by her
vahana
the swan. Gajalaxmi’s
importance as the central figure in the painting is amplified by her size and
prominence in relation to the other two figures.
Every square inch of this painting is exquisitely detailed. The foreground is painted
with a delightful assortment of plants and flowers blooming in the lakes around
the gods. The architectural forms, including the terraces, awnings, balustrades,
pediments, arches and domes are painstakingly detailed. The one‒point
perspective introduced into the painting hints at a Western influence, yet retains
a flatness seen in the patterns and architectural forms in the foreground, rooting
it in the tradition of the Indian miniaturist.