.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The Gita Gauri, the song of Gauri (‘the fair one’ or Parvati) is a series about the love of Shiva and Parvati. It is similar in format to the Gita Govinda, in which the love of Radha and Krishna is described.
The present painting depicts a series of narrative events from the Gita Gauri. As per the inscription, Parvati has disguised herself as Urvashi, leader of the apsaras. She is in conversation with Shiva, inciting him to make the first move towards Parvati. The god of love, Kama, is aiming his lotus arrow at Shiva. In the next scene below, Shiva is in the center of a forest grove feeding Parvati from his right hand. This is no doubt in order to lure her into romance, so they may become their unified form, Ardhanarishvara.
A painting from this series which has been attributed to Sahibdin is in the collection of San Diego Museum of Art (acc. no. 1990.603). Other paintings can be found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago (acc. no. 2004.454) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (acc. no. 66.123 and 66.124).
The present painting depicts a series of narrative events from the Gita Gauri. As per the inscription, Parvati has disguised herself as Urvashi, leader of the apsaras. She is in conversation with Shiva, inciting him to make the first move towards Parvati. The god of love, Kama, is aiming his lotus arrow at Shiva. In the next scene below, Shiva is in the center of a forest grove feeding Parvati from his right hand. This is no doubt in order to lure her into romance, so they may become their unified form, Ardhanarishvara.
A painting from this series which has been attributed to Sahibdin is in the collection of San Diego Museum of Art (acc. no. 1990.603). Other paintings can be found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago (acc. no. 2004.454) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (acc. no. 66.123 and 66.124).