id: 154776 accession number: 1989.353 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1989.353 updated: 2023-09-21 11:51:05.360000 Box decorated with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesa, c. 1800. Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Jaipur. Gold with enamel; overall: 4.5 x 6.3 cm (1 3/4 x 2 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin 1989.353 title: Box decorated with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesa title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c. 1800 creation date earliest: 1780 creation date latest: 1820 current location: 242B Indian Painting creditline: Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin copyright: --- culture: Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Jaipur technique: gold with enamel department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art collection: Indian Art type: Metalwork find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 4.5 x 6.3 cm (1 3/4 x 2 1/2 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: The Severance and Greta Millikin Collection opening date: 1990-07-05T04:00:00 The Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 5-September 2, 1990). title: Nature Supernatural (Indian Painting rotation) opening date: 2023-09-22T04:00:00 Nature Supernatural (Indian Painting rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 22, 2023-March 3, 2024). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE (William H. Wolff, Inc., New York, NY, sold to Severance and Greta Millikin) date: ?–1968 footnotes: citations: Severance A. [1895–1985] and Greta [Marguerite Steckerl] Millikin [1903–1989], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art date: 1968–1989 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 1989– footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: Shiva’s mount is the bull; the tiger is the mount of his wife. digital description: This box is covered in a variety of birds, animals, and plants. The central motifs on the lids include images of four Hindu gods: Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu, and Ganesha. The blue figures are Vishnu and Krishna, the latter of which is an incarnation of the former who is shown playing a flute. The elephant-headed Ganesha is red and accompanied by his mount, the bandicoot rat Dinka. The four-armed Shiva is paired with two animals, including a tiger and his sacred bull mount Nandi.

Small enamel boxes could be used to house many different substances, from cosmetics to spices to stimulants, including opium and paan, a digestive typically given at formal gatherings as a sign of the host’s hospitality. wall description: Four Hindu gods populate the vegetative motifs that cover every surface of this box. The gods, accompanied by birds and animals, include a seated white Shiva, a red Ganesha, a blue four-armed Vishnu, and a blue flute-playing Krishna.

Enamel boxes held a variety of items and substances, from cosmetics to spices to paan, a digestive given to guests at formal assemblies. Indian enamels reveal the cultural diversity of the subcontinent: introduced by European traders to the Mughal court, the technique was mastered by Indian art. Inspired by Christian jewelry, they created works for Hindu and Muslim patrons. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Catalogue of the Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1990. page number: Mentioned: cat. no. 196, p. 92. url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1989.353/1989.353_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1989.353/1989.353_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1989.353/1989.353_full.tif