Description
Here a devotee of Vishnu is wearing shoes and is depicted with some irony as being a fashionable devotee, or perhaps merely posing as orthodox. Kalighat artists often targeted hypocritical Vaishnava mendicants whose intentions with unsuspecting women were far from innocent. On his forehead one finds sectarian marks worn by worshippers of Vishnu. The man’s right hand and one of the women’s left hands, both held aloft, are colored red, possibly to indicate that they were adorned with henna.
Provenance
William E. Ward [1922-2004], Solon, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?-2003); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2003-)
Accession Number
2003.101
Medium
Gum tempera, graphite, ink, and tin on paper
Dimensions
Painting only: 45.4 x 27.8 cm (17 7/8 x 10 15/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward