Untitled

Unknown

ca. 1700–1710 · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Asian Art

Sets of the avatars of Vishnu often precede manuscripts that concern one of his incarnations, but this page cannot be associated with any known set. Kalki is described as either a white horse or a warrior on a white horse. In paintings from the Punjab Hills he is usually shown, as here, in the guise of a groom leading a white horse to a seated warrior with blue skin, the color traditionally associated with Vishnu. Several elements—the use of beetle-wing cases to simulate emeralds, the patterning of the saddle blanket, the profile of the throne legs, and the almond-shaped eyes—imply a Basohli provenance. The visual description of the horse and groom suggests a date in the early eighteenth century, when the archaic poses of earlier works gave way to more naturalistic portrayals.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1700–1710

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Culture

India (Basohli, Jammu)

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, 1991