Lord Brahma the Creator in the Holy Trinity

Painting

-

Purdue University Galleries

Name/Title

Lord Brahma the Creator in the Holy Trinity

Entry/Object ID

1998.09.37

Description

The central figure is adorned with intricate patterns and bright colors, surrounded by a symbolic floral and bird backdrop.The figure is shown wearing a a crown with an orange and yellow design and its surrounded by two smaller similar figure heads.

Type of Painting

Watercolor

Artwork Details

Medium

Paper, ink

Subject

Lord Brahma

Subject Person

Lord Brahma

Subject Place

Country

India

Acquisition

Accession

1998.09

Source or Donor

Derek Davenport

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of Derek Davenport

Made/Created

Time Period

Late 20th century

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Region

Madhubani

Country

India

Notes

Traditionally produced by women, Madhubani/Mithila paintings are identifiable by bright colors, geometric patterning, and two-dimensionality.

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Attribution, Label

Location

Back Upper Left Corner

Transcription

Lord Brahma the Creator in the Holy Trinity

Material/Technique

Written

Notes

Label is scratched out, handwritten above it

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Painting

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Height

30 in

Width

22 in

Provenance

Notes

Derek Davenport (1927-2017), West Lafayette, Indiana; donated to the Purdue University Galleries in 1998

Exhibition

Paintings from India: Historical and Modern (2019)

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Exhibition label

Label

(From Paintings from India: Historical and Modern Reuff West Feb 11-22, 2019): Colors of orange, yellow, and red vividly represent this Lord. He is usually depicted with four faces, whereas here there appear only three. He is the God of creation, speech and knowledge. In many representations he is shown with an axe. Several lotus flowers are evident, and they are found throughout Hinduism as symbols of purity and divine beauty.