Important Notice

Snake Gods

Initialed in Devnagari (verso)
c. 1970s
Earth, oxide colours on handmade paper
22 x 30 in (55 x 75 cm)


For generations the women folk of the Mithila region (or the Madhubani district in Bihar) have been creating ceremonial and devotional floor paintings and murals during festivals and auspicious occasions like weddings. They use simple brushes made of bamboo and raw cotton. The artists are free from stylistic influences and use their own imaginations and thoughts to convey their ideas. Strong forms and colours are a feature of this style. In the 1970s, the Government of India sponsored a program organised by Maharathi and Kulkarni to support these women painters. They were given paper and asked to put their works onto paper from the original mural/wall locations. The present lot is one of the works created under that program. Several books have been published on this subject, and similar works can be found in the permanent collection of in the Crafts Museum, New Delhi, as well as many public and private collections in India and abroad.

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