Shri Shankara Shiva

This magnificent rendering of Shiva’s divine family is one of the earliest and most popular prints from the Chitrashala Steam Press, founded in Pune in 1878. The youthful and handsome faces of Shiva and his wife Parvati gaze directly at the viewer, engaging the devotee in the act of darshan, or “seeing the divine.” The holy family is richly dressed and adorned with jewels, and their throne features carved lions with heavy manes. Artists of the Chitrashala Steam Press adopted a more robust style—note the bright colors and the direct engagement of the subjects—compared to their counterparts in Kolkata, whose work has a painterly quality. This scene has the staged feel of a Victorian-era photographic studio portrait, with the snowy peaks of the Himalayas acting as the painted backdrop.