Shashthi
1885
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1885
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Shashthi is a 1885 paint by Unknown, a Impressionism work, depicting Kalighat, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a woman in a traditional outfit. She's wearing a lot of jewelry and has a calm face. The details in her clothes and accessories are interesting, they seem to be from a specific culture, but I'm not sure which one. The painting has a simple background, which makes the woman stand out. The artist used a lot of colors to make her clothes and jewelry look rich. You can learn more about this style by looking into the technique of sfumato.
The painting depicts the goddess Shashthi rendered in opaque watercolour on paper, her yellow-toned form adorned in a red sari, cradling two children—one held in her hand and the other in her arm—while standing atop a black and white cat. Acquired from Miss M Steele, the work was part of a collection inherited from her mother. It reflects the Kalighat painting tradition of 19th-century Calcutta, where artists used vivid colours, simplified forms, and quick brushstrokes to capture local mythology and societal themes during the period of British colonial rule.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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