The god Siva seated with his consort Parvati on a lotus throne, attributable to the Master of the Court of Mankot or an associate, Mankot, circa 1710-20

gouache heightened with gold and silver on paper, incomplete inscription above, in takri characters

Acquired in 1967

Tantra, Hayward Gallery, London, 1971

London 1971, p.99, no.507 (reprinted 1972, p.108)
London 1971-II, 'Man, Myth & Magic', no. 92, p.2573
Rawson 1973, col.pl.19
Rawson 1973-I, pp.183 & 189, pl.170

In good overall condition, minor waterstaining to outer leaf edges, as viewed.
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Siva sits in yoga posture enthroned on a giant pinkish-white lotus blossom, worshipped by Parvati, who is perched on his left knee. In this miniature Siva adopts the five-headed form of Sadasiva, the Supreme Being, the Eternal Siva whose five aspects are manifested in one form.

This iconic painting can be attributed to the artist termed "The Master at the Court of Mankot" based on a general stylistic similarity to published works attributed to that artist by scholars over the last few decades. More specifically, it is very close to two particular paintings, one depicting Rama Avatara and the other depicting Shiva Ardhanarishvara (Rietberg Museum, Zurich and San Diego Museum of Art respectively, see Fischer and Goswamy 1992, p.125, no.52; Boner, Fischer and Goswamy 1994, pp.86, 97, no.262, pl.16; Goswamy and Fischer in Beach, Fischer and Goswamy 2011, vol.II, p.511, fig.7; Goswamy and Smith 2006, p.197, no.80; Goswamy and Fischer in Beach, Goswamy and Fischer 2011, vol.II, p.512, fig.8). In relation to the scene of Rama Avatara, the face of the female figure, the lotus seat, the form of the throne and the style of bow can all be compared to the present work, while in the scene of Shiva Ardhanarishvara, the white face of Siva, the trident and the snakes can be compared to those in the present work.

The artist termed "The Master at the Court of Mankot", possibly Meju, was active from about 1680 to 1730 and may have been head of a family of artists. His style has been analysed thoroughly in recent years by Goswamy and Fischer, who comment that his work "is marked by an intensity, a feeling of faith and conviction, that is truly rare". They further comment on his rich and intense colouring and the pellucid quality of his paintings (Goswamy and Fischer in Beach, Fischer and Goswamy 2011, vol.II, p.501). For full discussions of his style and oeuvre see ibid., pp.501-514; Goswamy and Fischer 1992, pp.95-125.

For further comparison to related works see Kramrisch 1986, p.121, no.111; Boner, Fischer and Goswamy 1994, pp.87, 98, no.271, pl.17; London 1982-I, p.199, no.358 (Basohli School c.1730, but closely related).