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Lord Shiva as Pashupatinath With Brahma and Vishnu Tanjore Painting | Traditional Colors With 24K Gold | Teakwood Frame | Gold & Wood | Handmade | Made In India

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Visual narratives in traditional Tanjore paintings represent the ability of the artist and the seeker to understand sacred legends with a few cues. A powerful instance is this 4 feet large artwork, with Shiva as a radiant Lingam in the centre, flanked by Vishnu and Brahma, an episode from the Puranas narrating the story of world creation.

According to Shiva Purana, once as Brahma and Vishnu were having a discourse on who is the greatest amongst them, a massive pillar of fire appeared. Both were awe-struck and willed to find the origin or end of this bewildering fire-Lingam. Brahma became a Param-hansa (the divine swan) and flew upwards and Vishnu as Varaha entered the underworld. While Vishnu-Varaha as seen in the foreground of this Tanjore, returned empty handed, Hamsa-Brahma saw a Ketaki flower floating in the sky (next to the swan in the painting), and asked it to bear false witness, by telling Vishnu that he had found the end of the Lingam.

As Brahma cunningly attempted to prove his might, the pillar of fire revealed itself as Shiva, the supreme being or Ishwara. Brahma was punished for falsehood, and Shiva was established as Adideva, the primordial Lord.

In the traditional idiom of Tanjore, this legend is revealed with rich colors and 24 karat gold. Fine line work, complementing color pallet and neat application of gold foil gives the canvas an appealing aura, enhanced by the vintage teakwood frame. With minimal elements, the painting recreates an extraordinary moment of Hindu cosmos- a signature of a trained master-artist.

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Item Code:	PAA150
Specifications:	TANJORE PAINTING TRADITIONAL COLORS WITH 24 KARAT GOLD
Dimensions	52 inch x 41 inch x 7 inch (With Frame) 46 inch x 34 inch (Without Frame)
Weight:	40.25 kg

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This Tanjore-style painting displays the Trinity. Pashupatinath is flanked by Lord Brahma on his left, and Lord Vishnu on his right. Nandi, the bull, lies at Pashupatinath’s feet, indicating that he is always ready to serve the Lord. The bird in the Lord’s right hand, and the deer in his left, signify his close bonding with animals. Pashupatinath’s idol is different from the normal idol of Lord Shiva. Pashupatinath’s robes, jewelry, and crown are all of the gold. Only the calm eyes and the smear of ash on his forehead are the same.

Gilded Elegance: Unraveling the Artistry of Tanjore Paintings

Tanjore painting is a traditional form of art in the South Indian style and was started by the inhabitants of a small town known as Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu. This gives it another name called “Thanjavur painting”. This painting draws its figures, designs, and inspiration from the time when Vedic culture was prevalent in India. Certain remarkable features of a Tanjore painting distinguish it from other paintings. Some of these are pure gold or gold foil coating on gesso work, the use of rich and vivid colors, and the inlay of cut-glass or semi-precious and precious stones. The subjects of most of the Tanjore paintings are Hindu Gods, Goddesses, and saints. The main devotional figure is portrayed in the central portion of the painting and is usually surrounded by various secondary figures.

The process of making a Tanjore painting

The classic Tanjore paintings are done on wooden planks and hence are also referred to as Palagai Padam in South India (Palagai = Wooden plank, Padam = Picture). Creating a masterpiece is never an easy task but the skilled artists of Thanjavur have been following the tradition of making timeless Tanjore paintings for decades.

The making process begins with preparing the wooden board or canvas. The size of the board depends upon the choice of the patron. The next step is to paste cardboard over the wooden board and then a cotton fabric is stretched and pasted upon it using Arabic gum.

Now that the cloth is attached to the wooden panel, a rough sketch of the motifs and figure is drawn onto the fabric. After this, a paste of chalk powder and water-soluble adhesive is evenly applied over the base and smoothed.

Thereafter, the outlines which were made or traced using a stencil are now ready to be beautified and decked with various add-ons. The usual materials for decoration are cut-glass, pearls, semi-precious and precious gems, gold leaf, and laces. 22 or 18 Karat Gold leaves and gems of varied hues are especially inlaid in areas like pillars, arches, walls, thrones, and dresses. In the final step, the rest of the painting is filled with rich and striking colors such as shades of red, blue, and green. Formerly, the artists used natural colors like vegetable and mineral dyes instead of chemical paints. The entire painting is then cleaned and refined to give a flawless finished look.

Since the making of a single piece of Tanjore painting requires a complex and elaborate process, the artists usually take at least one or two months to complete it. The use of pure gold foil and gems for beautification is a characteristic of an authentic Tanjore painting. Due to this, Tanjore paintings last for generations without getting tarnished and are much more expensive than general paintings. Though the art form has undergone various changes and technique modifications over the years, it continues to attract the hearts of art lovers.

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