id: 162425 accession number: 2003.101 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/2003.101 updated: Vaishnava Devotee with Two Women, c. 1890. Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat. Watercolor, graphite, ink, and tin on paper; painting only: 45.4 x 27.8 cm (17 7/8 x 10 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward 2003.101 title: Vaishnava Devotee with Two Women title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c. 1890 creation date earliest: 1875 creation date latest: 1905 current location: creditline: Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward copyright: --- culture: Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat technique: Watercolor, graphite, ink, and tin on paper department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art collection: Indian Art type: Painting find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Painting only: 45.4 x 27.8 cm (17 7/8 x 10 15/16 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Indian Kalighat Paintings opening date: 2011-05-01T00:00:00 Indian Kalighat Paintings. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (May 1-September 18, 2011). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE William E. Ward [1922-2004], Solon, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art date: ?-2003 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 2003- footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: digital description: wall description: Here a devotee of Vishnu is wearing shoes and is depicted with some irony as being a fashionable devotee, or perhaps merely posing as orthodox. Kalighat artists often targeted hypocritical Vaishnava mendicants whose intentions with unsuspecting women were far from innocent. On his forehead one finds sectarian marks worn by worshippers of Vishnu. The man’s right hand and one of the women’s left hands, both held aloft, are colored red, possibly to indicate that they were adorned with henna. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2003.101/2003.101_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2003.101/2003.101_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2003.101/2003.101_full.tif