Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning and knowledge and the wife of Brahma. Gouache painting by an Indian artist.

[India], [between 1800 and 1899?]

1 painting : gouache painting on ivory, with pencil ; image 5.3 x 4.5 cm

Saraswati, wife of Brahma Lettering in English, on verso

Wellcome Collection 582099i

In the 1830s the British in Delhi encouraged local miniature painters to paint portraits in watercolours on ivory in emulation of European oval locket portraits. Such portraits could easily be sent to Britain to remind family members there of their relatives in the East. The technique was extended to portray the famous buildings of India such as the temple at Amritsar, and the pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses. These paintings show Hindu deities. The oval shape of the painting is determined by the cross-section of the elephant's tusk, which is sawn into thin slices to make the support for the painting. The ivory was seasoned and pressed to prevent warping, then covered with a shallow glass dome polished with corundum and oil. The finished paintings could be incorporated into boxes, screens, brooches, etc.--text for Wellcome Library interactive programme 2006