Religious Ceremoies and Customs of the People of the World: Shiva and Ganesha
Bernard Picart
Description
At the top of this sheet is an image of the Hindu deity Shiva, identifiable by attributes such as the third eye and crescent moon on his forehead. Though Shiva sometimes wears a necklace of skulls, here it is comprised of heads—an example of the inaccuracies in European depictions of non-Western cultures in this period. The lower image depicts the Hindu deity Ganesha (Shiva’s child), identifiable by his elephant head. Though Ganesha traditionally has a full, round body, in this engraving Picart has adhered to European ideals of depicting a body.
Fall rotation 2016.
Subject Matter:
At the top of this sheet is an image of the Hindu deity Shiva, identifiable by attributes such as the third eye and crescent moon on his forehead. Though Shiva sometimes wears a necklace of skulls, here it is comprised of heads—an example of the inaccuracies in European depictions of non-Western cultures in this period. The lower image depicts the Hindu deity Ganesha—Shiva’s child—identifiable by his elephant head. Though Ganesha traditionally has a full, round body, in this engraving Picart has adhered to European ideals of depicting a body.
Physical Description:
This print is broken into two scenes, each of which depict a sculpture of a deity in an architectural interior. Each figure is depicted as seated, or standing on a pedestal with worshippers standing or kneeling to each side.
Usage Rights:
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