Religious Ceremoies and Customs of the People of the World: Shiva and Ganesha

Accession Number
2007/2.125

Title
Religious Ceremoies and Customs of the People of the World: Shiva and Ganesha

Artist(s)
Bernard Picart

Artist Nationality
French (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1722

Medium & Support
copper plate engraving on paper

Dimensions
16 5/8 in x 10 1/4 in (42.2 cm x 26.1 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink

Label copy
At the top of this sheet is an image of the Hindu deity Shiva, identifiable by attributes such as the third eye and crescent moon on his forehead. Though Shiva sometimes wears a necklace of skulls, here it is comprised of heads—an example of the inaccuracies in European depictions of non-Western cultures in this period. The lower image depicts the Hindu deity Ganesha (Shiva’s child), identifiable by his elephant head. Though Ganesha traditionally has a full, round body, in this engraving Picart has adhered to European ideals of depicting a body. 

Fall rotation 2016. 

Subject matter
At the top of this sheet is an image of the Hindu deity Shiva, identifiable by attributes such as the third eye and crescent moon on his forehead. Though Shiva sometimes wears a necklace of skulls, here it is comprised of heads—an example of the inaccuracies in European depictions of non-Western cultures in this period. The lower image depicts the Hindu deity Ganesha—Shiva’s child—identifiable by his elephant head. Though Ganesha traditionally has a full, round body, in this engraving Picart has adhered to European ideals of depicting a body. 

Physical Description
This print is broken into two scenes, each of which depict a sculpture of a deity in an architectural interior. Each figure is depicted as seated, or standing on a pedestal with worshippers standing or kneeling to each side. 

Primary Object Classification
Print

Primary Object Type
intaglio print

Collection Area
Western

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
Hinduism
copper engraving (printing process)
deities
statues

& Author Notes

All Rights Reserved