Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra
1830
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1830
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra is a 1830 paint by Unknown, a Romanticism work, depicting Kalighat, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
You see three colorful wooden figures side by side. The tallest is dark blue with large eyes. The middle one is yellow with a red crown. The smallest is black with a white face. This painting shows Hindu gods from Orissa’s Jagannatha temple. The odd shapes come from an old story. A carpenter started to carve them but got angry and left them unfinished. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more like this.
The painting depicts the deities Jagannatha, Balabhadra, and Subhadra, who are revered in Puri, Orissa, as forms of Krishna, Balarama, and Subhadra respectively. Rendered in opaque watercolour and tin alloy on paper, the figures are shown with simplified, stylized features—Jagannatha and Balabhadra flanking Subhadra, who is positioned between them. The use of tin highlights their adornments, including necklaces, hair ornaments, and earrings. This work reflects the Kalighat painting tradition of 19th-century Calcutta, characterized by bold colours and swift brushwork.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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