Shiva and Parvati with their Sons Karttikeya and Ganesha and the Calf Bull

India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir)

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 237

A devotee used this charming rendering of the Shiva family assembled on a single pedestal for worship, likely in a private chapel. Shiva holds a rosary (aksamala) and flask; his wife, Parvati, a mirror. Both are crowned and jeweled as if Kashmiri monarchs. Shiva’s calf bull Vrsabha nuzzles close to his lord, and the couple’s two children flank the ensemble.

Shiva and Parvati with their Sons Karttikeya and Ganesha and the Calf Bull, Stone, India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir)

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