Collection record · Everyday wonders
Box decorated with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesha
The collection record classifies this work as metalwork. It is dated c. 1800. Recorded culture or place: Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Jaipur.
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Box decorated with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesha
- Date
- c. 1800
- Culture / origin
- Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Jaipur
- Materials and technique
- gold with enamel
- Dimensions
- Overall: 4.5 x 6.3 cm (1 3/4 x 2 1/2 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1989.353
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
This box is covered in a variety of birds, animals, and plants. The central motifs on the lids include images of four Hindu gods: Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu, and Ganesha. The blue figures are Vishnu and Krishna, the latter of which is an incarnation of the former who is shown playing a flute. The elephant-headed Ganesha is red and accompanied by his mount, the bandicoot rat Dinka. The four-armed Shiva is paired with two animals, including a tiger and his sacred bull mount Nandi.
Small enamel boxes could be used to house many different substances, from cosmetics to spices to stimulants, including opium and paan, a digestive typically given at formal gatherings as a sign of the host’s hospitality.
FOLLOW THE SOURCE
Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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