Not currently on display at the V&A

The god Subrahmanya, the god of war.

Painting
ca. 1820 - ca. 1825 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. This example is from a collection of 100 such paintings. They show Hindu deities and their vehicles, the Guardians of the Quarters, the avataras (incarnations) of Vishnu, and the story of Krishna. The subject matter is unusual one for Company Paintings, which generally showed more popular themes such as occupations and costume. An Englishman with scholarly interests must have commissioned this one.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe god Subrahmanya, the god of war.
Materials and techniques
Opaque watercolour on watermarked paper
Brief description
Painting; gouache on watermarked paper, The god Subrahmanya, the god of war, Trichinopoly, ca. 1825.
Physical description
The god of war (Subrahmanya) in his form as the lance-bearer (Mailerivelan) mounted on a peacock with his two shaktis, Valli and Devasena. The god is pink-skinned, four-armed, holding two wavy swords and displaying abhaya and vara hastas (symbolic hand positions). Beside him are two female figures. They are enthroned on the back of a peacock, who stands on the body of a cobra and holds another in his beak. Overarching the deities is a ring of flames.
Dimensions
  • Height: 22cm
  • Width: 18cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
  • 6. Soobramaneyasaumy and the Goddess Valleehamona and Teyvannah, the son of Paramaswera. (Inscription; decoration; English; Roman; beneath illustration)
  • '6. Soobramaneyasaumy and the Goddess Valleehamona and Teyvannah, the son of Parameswera.' (Inscription; decoration; English; Roman; Beneath illustration)
  • undeciphered (Inscription; decoration; Telugu; Telugu; beneath picture)
    Translation
    unknown
Object history
Purchased from Mr A. Churchill, 1923.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. This example is from a collection of 100 such paintings. They show Hindu deities and their vehicles, the Guardians of the Quarters, the avataras (incarnations) of Vishnu, and the story of Krishna. The subject matter is unusual one for Company Paintings, which generally showed more popular themes such as occupations and costume. An Englishman with scholarly interests must have commissioned this one.
Bibliographic reference
Archer, Mildred. Company Paintings Indian Paintings of the British period Victoria and Albert Museum Indian Series London: Victoria and Albert Museum, Maplin Publishing, 1992 25 p. ISBN 0944142303
Collection
Accession number
IM.360-1923

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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