| Object Name: | |
| Object Type: | |
| Category: | REPRESENTATIONS |
| Sub-category: | works on paper |
| Medium: | ink lithographed |
| Support: | paper |
| Catalogue Number: | Eg321 |
| Origin-Country: | India |
| Origin-Continent: | Asia |
| Culture: | South India |
| Geo Cultural Area: | South India |
| Cultural Context: | popular relgious art |
| Latest Production Date: | 1982 |
| Description: | Small, rectangular print depicting four-armed female, Saraswati, playing the veena, a long-necked, stringed instrument in two hands; seated on a large, white lotus flower floating on blue-coloured pond. White swan and books in front, peacock behind her. S |
| History of Use: | Indian popular religious prints have been published for nearly a century, first by German presses, later by Indian ones. The prints may take the form of calendars, posters, or simply images. The style of the representations is European. In the beginning they were Hindu images, but are now acquiring elements both of folk art and a romantic secularism. It is a living art currently influenced by the movie industry and non-Hindu religions. The images are a vehicle for advertising and are also used for religious purposes. |
| Height: | 12.4 |
| Width: | 9 |
| Unit-Linear: | cm |
| Iconographic Meaning: | Goddess of learning and arts, Saraswati, 'the watery one', is the protector of wisdom, literature, music, and arts, and consort of Brahma. She is identified by: prayer beads to represent piety; books; the vina, symbol for all arts; manuscript bundle, symbol of wisdom and writing; and the peacock. As goddess of eloquence mastering the rivers of speech, water is associated with her. |
| Department: | Museum of Anthropology |
| Institution: |
UBC Museum of Anthropology
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| Institution City: | Vancouver |
| Institution Province: | British Columbia |
| Institution record: | Full record provided on the museum's site |
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