Untitled

Tirupati School, South India

late 18th century · Opaque watercolor and hand-colored silver on paper · Asian Art

Vishnu is here depicted as Venkateshwara, “Lord of the Hill,” a form distinctive to Tirupati in southern Andhra Pradesh, where the divinity’s temple is situated high on a ridge of seven hills. The image celebrates Vishnu as he who relieves all suffering in this Age. Richly bejeweled, he wears a towering conical crown set with jewels. He is flanked by two consorts: Lakshmi, the auspicious goddess of prosperity, and Padmavathi, a local goddess whom Vishnu married. The Tirupati temple is famed as India’s greatest pilgrimage center with some 50,000 to 100,000 worshippers coming daily. It is the most visited temple in the modern world, and the richest.

Artist

Tirupati School, South India

Date

late 18th century

Medium

Opaque watercolor and hand-colored silver on paper

Culture

South India, Andhra Pradesh, Tirupati

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2022