Miniature painting with colors and gold on paper. India, possibly Rajasthan, 19th century

A folkloric representation of highly diverse aspects of various deities. Shiva is depicted in the bottom left corner on a lotus blossom in front of his white bull Nandi with his wife on his lap. The image in the lower right-hand corner probably also shows Shiva with his wife. The other images depict forms of Durga: riding a tiger in the top left corner and, in the top right corner, sporting countless, radially extended arms. The figure in the center is most likely Shiva's son, Skanda, an eternally youthful god of war. A popular titular god of villages. The worshipping figure on the left may be the sage Markandeya.

Dimensions: 38.3 x 33.5 CM
Condition: Some blemishes and signs of wear due to the age - overall good condition
Provenance: From an old Viennese collection