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Lot Essay
Beautifully painted in a rich and diverse palette, this large paubha depicting the Shiva Purana embodies the essence of the Nepalese painting tradition on cloth. Also known as the Shiva Mahapurana, this ancient text is the supreme purana of the Shaivas, detailing the creation, preservation and ultimate destruction of the universe, as well as serving as a guide to the worship of Shiva.
Depicted here with four arms, Shiva is seated on a large throne flanked by two female goddesses, one red and one blue in color. Shiva wears a tiger skin around his waist, a garland of severed heads around his shoulders, and undulating serpents around his neck and torso. His portrait-like face is rendered with exceptional sensitivity, highlighted by wide open eyes and full red lips topped by a long moustache. His forehead is marked by a third eye the three lines of sacred ash (vibhuti), which signifies his renunciation of worldly desires. His thick hair is piled in a high chignon and fastened with an elaborate tiara. The central trio is flanked by various standing attendants, including at left the multi-headed Brahma and Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva. A red Skanda and blue Vishnu stand at right, with two ascetics dressed in tiger skins in the foreground. Two ferocious mythical lions peer out from the elaborate throne, while Shiva's faithful mount Nandi, sits peacefully at front center. The assemblage is set amidst a mountainous landscape and blue sky, in which apsaras floating on banks of clouds bestow blessings. Compare the treatment of the landscape and figural style with an early 19th century mural in Hanumandhoka Palace, Kathmandu (Pratapaditya Pal, The Arts of Nepal, Volume Two: Painting, California, 1978, fig.163).
The central scene of the present work is surrounded by eight vignettes depicting different stories. For a paubha that also portrays a large central scene surrounded by minor registers, see Pratapaditya Pal, op.cit., fig.127. Of particular interest in the present painting is the presence of a Ganesha seated at left in the uppermost register. This placement of the elephant-headed god likely relates to the practice of invoking Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, at the start of Hindu rituals. The reading of holy texts such as the Shiva Purana is considered a ritual practice in and of itself.
The word paubha is derived from the Sanskrit Patrabhattarak, which translates to the depiction of a god or goddesses on a flat form. Similar to the Indian picchvai, which narrate tales of Krishna, the Shiva paubha tells the story of Shiva. One of the earliest known paubhas, which resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1995.233), dates to circa 1100 and depicts a mandala of Paramasukha-Chakrasamvara. While the tradition of Nepalese painting on cloth often depicts Buddhist imagery, Hindu subjects, such as the current depiction of Shiva, are rare and highly prized.
Depicted here with four arms, Shiva is seated on a large throne flanked by two female goddesses, one red and one blue in color. Shiva wears a tiger skin around his waist, a garland of severed heads around his shoulders, and undulating serpents around his neck and torso. His portrait-like face is rendered with exceptional sensitivity, highlighted by wide open eyes and full red lips topped by a long moustache. His forehead is marked by a third eye the three lines of sacred ash (vibhuti), which signifies his renunciation of worldly desires. His thick hair is piled in a high chignon and fastened with an elaborate tiara. The central trio is flanked by various standing attendants, including at left the multi-headed Brahma and Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva. A red Skanda and blue Vishnu stand at right, with two ascetics dressed in tiger skins in the foreground. Two ferocious mythical lions peer out from the elaborate throne, while Shiva's faithful mount Nandi, sits peacefully at front center. The assemblage is set amidst a mountainous landscape and blue sky, in which apsaras floating on banks of clouds bestow blessings. Compare the treatment of the landscape and figural style with an early 19th century mural in Hanumandhoka Palace, Kathmandu (Pratapaditya Pal, The Arts of Nepal, Volume Two: Painting, California, 1978, fig.163).
The central scene of the present work is surrounded by eight vignettes depicting different stories. For a paubha that also portrays a large central scene surrounded by minor registers, see Pratapaditya Pal, op.cit., fig.127. Of particular interest in the present painting is the presence of a Ganesha seated at left in the uppermost register. This placement of the elephant-headed god likely relates to the practice of invoking Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, at the start of Hindu rituals. The reading of holy texts such as the Shiva Purana is considered a ritual practice in and of itself.
The word paubha is derived from the Sanskrit Patrabhattarak, which translates to the depiction of a god or goddesses on a flat form. Similar to the Indian picchvai, which narrate tales of Krishna, the Shiva paubha tells the story of Shiva. One of the earliest known paubhas, which resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1995.233), dates to circa 1100 and depicts a mandala of Paramasukha-Chakrasamvara. While the tradition of Nepalese painting on cloth often depicts Buddhist imagery, Hindu subjects, such as the current depiction of Shiva, are rare and highly prized.