A painting of Anantasayana

INDIA, KANGRA, CIRCA 1830

Details

A painting of Anantasayana
India, Kangra, circa 1830
Vishnu reclining in deep sleep against the giant hood of the serpent Shesha while Lakshmi massages his feet, dressed in a yellow dhoti with golden crown and his implements lying next to him, a lotus stem rising from his navel supporting a pink blossom and the four-headed Brahma, all upon floating on the sea with a green landscape in the distance, the verso with inscriptions in devanagri and nasta'liq
Opaque pigments and gold on paper
6 5/8 x 8¾ in. (16.8 x 22.2 cm.), image
8¾ x 11¼ in. (22.2 x 28.6 cm.), folio

Provenance

Private collection, London, acquired in 2007

Lot Essay

The present work depicts the moment of earthly creation, when Brahma emerges from Vishnu's naval to initiate a new epoch. Vishnu, Brahma, and Lakshmi recline on the enormous hood of the snake Ananta-Shesha, who provides a platform amidst the milky waters of the changing world.

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