Collections: Asian Art: Siddha Lakhsmi with Kali

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Siddha Lakhsmi with Kali

• Culture: Indian
• Medium: Opaque watercolor, gold, silver, and beetle wing cases on paper
• Place Made: Basohli, Punjab Hills, India
• Dates: ca. 1660-1670
• Dimensions: sheet: 8 5/8 x 8 3/8 in. (21.9 x 21.3 cm) image: 7 1/8 x 6 11/16 in. (18.1 x 17.0 cm)
• Inscriptions: Inscribed at top: Siddha Lakshmi with Kali. On reverse: One should (let one) meditate thus in the lotus of his heart on Siddha Lakshmi, goddess of remembrance, Bhadrakali (all epithets of Siddha Lakshmi) who is young, with a face resembling the rising moon and crown bedecked with the crescent moon. Whose pricelessly graceful form is clad in a yellow dress, seated on an eightfold (cosmic) lotus, accompanied by Kali, drinking draughts of liquor. Translated by Sonali Mitra. Inscribed on top right: Siddha Lakshmi with Kali.
• Collections: Asian Art
• Museum Location: This item is not on view
• Accession Number: 84.142
• Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Poster in honor of Dr. Bertram H. Schaffner
• Image: Overall, 84.142_IMLS_SL2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Indian. Siddha Lakhsmi with Kali, ca. 1660-1670. Opaque watercolor, gold, silver, and beetle wing cases on paper, sheet: 8 5/8 x 8 3/8 in. (21.9 x 21.3 cm) image: 7 1/8 x 6 11/16 in. (18.1 x 17.0 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Poster in honor of Dr. Bertram H. Schaffner, 84.142 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 84.142_IMLS_SL2.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: Square image of two goddesses: Siddha Lakshmi appears seated on a lotus flower. She has pink skin and is dressed in a saffron costume with abundant jewelry. She holds a cup to her mouth while her other hand holds a lotus bud. She is addressed by the dark-skinned Kali, who stands to her left, dressed in a red skirt and holding a jar. The figures appear a flat background of dark red-brown with a strip of cloudy sky above and the arched edges of a dark gray lotus pond below. The image is surrounded by bright red borders.