SEVEN MICA PAINTINGS OF THE HINDU GOD VISHNU'S VARIOUS INCARNATIONS (AVATARS)
Tiruchirappalli (Trichinopoly), Tamil Nadu, Southern India, ca. 1830 - 1850

Opaque pigments on mica, comprising seven leaves in vertical format, each panel presenting a different incarnation (avatar) of the Hindu God Vishnu, including the Horse Avatar, Hayagriva; the Lion Avatar, Narasimha; Bala Rama; Parsurama; the blue-skinned god Krishna; the Dwarf Avatar, Vamana; and Rama with his bow and arrow with a crescent moon head, some panels mounted on thin paper with English inscriptions in pencil, a panel mounted on white cardboard, and another mounted, glazed and framed, the largest 10.8cm x 15.4cm.