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Das Avataras, Ten Incarnations of Vishnu (verso), from a Kalighat album
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This hastily hand-colored woodcut depicts a set of ten avatars, or incarnations, of the Hindu god Vishnu as recognized in 1800s Bengal. In each avatar, Vishnu descended to earth in order restore balance and order to the world. In the top register, from left to right, are Vishnu’s avatars as fish, tortoise, boar, man-lion, and Brahmin. Below are Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Jagannath, and Kalki. The image of Rama shows him after his victory over the demon Ravana. He sits with Sita, crowned, holding bow and arrow. His monkey general Hanuman stands before him in a gesture of adoration.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineDas Avataras, Ten Incarnations of Vishnu (verso), from a Kalighat album, c. 1890. Shri Gobinda Chandra Roy (Indian, active late 1800s). Woodcut, hand colored with gum tempera; secondary support: 29.9 x 48.5 cm (11 3/4 x 19 1/8 in.); painting only: 28.3 x 42.7 cm (11 1/8 x 16 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward, 2003.114.b
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