Kings and queens were believed to have a divine origin as the human incarnations of gods on earth. It was thought that at death they were reunited with the deities from whom they derived. Posthumous commemorative royal portraits such as this one celebrate this moment, coinciding with death, when the temporal ruler is reintegrated with the original deity. In this case, an as-yet-unidentified historical queen is depicted with an austere and regal expression—an intensely focused look of absolute power—as she is united with, but also transformed into, the great Hindu goddess Parvati, the consort of Shiva. She stands on Shiva's vehicle, the bull Nandi, and is flanked by her two children: Ganesha, the potbellied, elephant-headed god who controls obstacles in life, is represented standing in an unusual yogic pose; Karttikeya, the god of war and general of the army of the gods, is shown seated.

As befits a queen-goddess, the figure is sumptuously adorned with elaborate jewelry, some approximate examples of which may be found in the Museum's extensive collection of Javanese gold jewelry.