Artwork
A Night Scene of Shiva Puja (recto)
A Night Scene of Shiva Puja (recto) is an unspecified painting by the Mughal Painting artist Muhammad Rizavi Hindi. It dates from 1765 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. A Night Scene of Shiva Puja is a painting depicting a nocturnal Hindu ritual.
- Accession no.
- 2013.350.a
- Credit line
- Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection
About this work
Overview
A Night Scene of Shiva Puja is a painting depicting a nocturnal Hindu ritual. It shows a woman offering a garland to a stone linga, an aniconic representation of the god Shiva, under a starry sky.
Subject & Meaning
The scene portrays a royal woman performing puja, a devotional ritual, at an outdoor shrine. The linga is adorned with orange paste and surrounded by offerings, including flowers and lamps fueled by clarified butter.
Technique & Style
The painting features a serene atmosphere, achieved through the soft glow of oil lamps. The artist's use of color, including the woman's golden robe and the orange and yellow powders, adds to the sense of reverence.
Context
The artwork is notable for its depiction of a Hindu ritual by a Muslim artist in Lucknow, a relatively uncommon subject for the time and place.
Artist & collection
