Album depicting one hundred Hindu gods (Ganesha) - Unidentified artists

A detailed gouache study of the Hindu deity Ganesha, originating from a nineteenth-century Indian album of religious iconography.

This image originates from an album containing one hundred depictions of Hindu deities, a characteristic production of the Company School of painting in India. During the nineteenth century, artists working under the patronage of British officials and travellers often produced such series to document local customs, mythology, and religious practices. The style combines traditional Indian miniature techniques with a systematic, encyclopaedic approach favoured by European collectors of the period.

The subject is Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity, rendered in a seated posture upon an ornate throne. The artist employs a precise, controlled application of gouache, using a palette dominated by vermilion, gold, and deep emerald green. Every element, from the deity's jewellery to the patterned textiles of his garments, is executed with careful attention to detail. The figure is set against a plain, unpainted background, a common feature in these albums, which allows the viewer to focus entirely on the iconographic attributes of the god. Ganesha holds symbolic objects in his hands, including a goad and a lotus, which are standard elements of his traditional representation.

The work reflects the cross-cultural exchange of the era, where indigenous artistic traditions were adapted to suit the tastes and requirements of a colonial audience. The paper shows signs of age, consistent with its origin in a bound volume, and the ink annotations on the adjacent page suggest this was part of a larger, curated collection. This print offers a clear view of the technical skill involved in these religious studies, capturing the formalised beauty of the deity while maintaining the clarity required for a catalogue or reference album.