Shiva as Bhairava
1850
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1850
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Shiva as Bhairava is a 1850 paint by Unknown, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
The painting depicts a man with a yellow and white dhoti, a teal sash, and a black necklace. He has a black bowl in his right hand and a yellow staff in his left. The man is standing on a black dog, which is wearing a collar with bells. The man's hair is blonde, and he has a third eye on his forehead. The man is adorned with various accessories, including a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet. He appears to be in motion, with his right leg bent and his left leg extended. The background of the painting is a solid pink color, with a black border around the edges. The painting's use of bold colors and dynamic composition creates a sense of energy and movement. To learn more about the artistic techniques used in this painting, explore the technique of chiaroscuro.
The artwork is a watercolour painting on paper from 1850, depicting Shiva in the form of Bhairava, holding a club and a blood-filled skull cap, accompanied by a dog. It was part of an album of 196 mixed works, including prints and drawings, collected by J. Lockwood Kipling between 1865 and 1893, primarily featuring lithographs from bazaars in Upper India and Bengal. The album was later donated to the museum by his son, Rudyard Kipling, in 1917.
Read the full account in the museum source.
