Untitled (The Goddess Shivasjaha) - Félicien Rops

A Symbolist watercolour by Félicien Rops depicting a mythological hybrid figure with an accompanying French inscription.

Félicien Rops, a Belgian artist known for his graphic work and association with the Symbolist movement, produced this watercolour as part of his exploration into esoteric and mythological themes. The composition depicts a hybrid figure, identified by the inscription as the goddess Shivasjaha, positioned in a kneeling posture against a backdrop of muted, wash-applied foliage. The figure possesses animalistic features, including a tail, and multiple breasts, reflecting the artist's interest in the grotesque and the fusion of human and bestial forms.

The inscription at the bottom, written in French, references the Vedas and describes the self-fecundation of the androgynous deity. This text provides a specific intellectual framework for the image, situating it within the late nineteenth-century fascination with occultism and non-Western mythologies. Rops employs a delicate watercolour technique, using soft washes of grey, blue, and flesh tones to define the anatomy of the figure. The line work remains precise, particularly in the rendering of the hair and the anatomical details of the torso.

This work demonstrates the artist's ability to combine technical draftsmanship with challenging, often provocative subject matter. Rops frequently moved between the satirical and the mystical, and this piece occupies a space of mythological inquiry. The muted palette ensures that the focus remains on the physical form of the deity and the accompanying text. As a study, it reveals the preparatory nature of his process, where narrative and visual elements are integrated to convey complex, often unsettling, allegorical meanings. The work remains a characteristic example of his output during his later years, when his focus shifted toward more personal, symbolic, and literary-inspired subjects.