Artwork
Lakshmi and Sarasvati
Lakshmi and Sarasvati is an unspecified painting by Unknown. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work depicts two female figures poised on lotus blossoms beneath a pale blue sky.
About this work
Overview
The work depicts two female figures poised on lotus blossoms beneath a pale blue sky. Each figure is adorned with elaborate earrings and stands amid a setting of green foliage and pink flowers, the surrounding blooms rendered in vivid hues.
Subject & Meaning
The attendants appear to be Hindu deities, suggested by their attire, jewelry, and the lotus platform, though the specific identities are not definitively indicated. One figure holds a fan, while the other plays a stringed instrument, gestures that align with traditional iconography of divine feminine roles.
Technique & Style
Executed in a flat, decorative manner, the painting employs bright, saturated colors—reds, yellows, blacks with white dots, and gold accents. The composition emphasizes pattern and surface ornamentation over perspective, characteristic of many South Asian devotional panels.
Context
The piece belongs to a broader tradition of Indian religious painting, where deities are presented on lotus pads as symbols of purity and cosmic order. Such works were commonly used in temple settings or private devotional spaces, reflecting the visual language of Hindu iconography.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
