c. 1820-1840

Garuda Carries Vishnu and Lakshmi on His Shoulders

Following the usual procedure, this artist loosely sketched the drawing in thick red lines that he then drew over in light black, and added small notations. Next he coated the whole image with a layer of white priming. Using the still-visible underdrawing, he then made the final illustration in darker black, including details such as facial features and ornaments. Dominating this painting is the bird-man Garuda, the divine vehicle and complement of the Hindu god Vishnu. Although often identified as an eagle, Garuda frequently appears as a parrot in Rajput paintings. Here he has a human body and the head of a parrot, and he strides forward on three-toed parrot feet. Seated with great dignity on Garuda's shoulders are the four-armed god Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi.