THE HINDU GOD OF VICTORY AND WAR, KARTIKEYA Thanjavur... Lot 118

THE HINDU GOD OF VICTORY AND WAR, KARTIKEYA Thanjavur (Tanjore), Tamil Nadu, South India, late 19th century Opaque pigments, white wash, gold leaf and sukka (limestone paste) on sand-coloured card, the vertical-format composition portraying the Hindu God of Victory and War, Kartikeya (also known as Skanda and Murugan), standing on a lotus pedestal under a horse-shoe-shaped arch with a kirtimukha mask at the top and his vahana (vehicle), the peacock, behind him, holding his main attribute, the divine spear known as vel, flanked by his consorts Devasena and Valli, heavily adorned and bejewelled, standing under smaller lobed arches to the sides of the main deity, the setting and layout reminiscent of a Hindu temple's garbhagriha, the sanctum where the main idol (murti) of the deity is housed, mounted and framed, 44cm x 39cm including the frame.