VARMA 2024.271

Shankar (another name for Shiva) is shown here seated with Parvati and their son Ganesha, easily identified by his elephant head. The divine family is arranged on a raised platform, flanked by lions.

In the foreground rests Nandi, the sacred bull and Shiva’s devoted vāhana (mount). Like the deities, Nandi is richly adorned with zardozi embroidery, enhancing the image’s visual richness and devotional appeal. The snow-capped mountains in the background likely reference Mount Kailasa – Kailash in present-day Tibet and the mythological abode of Shiva, reinforcing the divine setting. Varma’s composition blends human elements with divine grandeur, a hallmark of his approach to mythological imagery.

The rights to this oleograph were acquired by Fritz Schleicher in 1903, when he purchased the Ravi Varma Fine Arts Lithographic Press.