Vamana

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Not currently on display at the V&A

Artist/Maker	Unknown
Place of origin	Trichinopoly (made)

In the guise of a dwarf, Vamana, the fifth avatar(incarnation) of Vishnu, appeared before King Bali, who in his generosity agreed to grant the dwarf as much land as he could cover in three steps. The dwarf then grew in size and covered the earth in one step, the heavens in the next and placed the third step on King Bali's head. From a series of 100 drawings of Hindu deities created in South India.

Object details

Categories	Paintings Hinduism Indian Company Paintings SCRAN
Object type	Painting
Title	Vamana (generic title)
Materials and techniques	Gouache on watermarked paper Gouache Paper Painting
Brief description	Painting; gouache on watermarked paper, Vamana; the dwarf, fifth avatar of Vishnu, Trichinopoly, ca.1825.
Physical description	In the guise of a dwarf, Vamana, the fifth avatar(incarnation) of Vishnu, appeared before King Bali, who in his generosity agreed to grant the dwarf as much land as he could cover in three steps. The dwarf then grew in size and covered the earth in one step, the heavens in the next and placed the third step on King Bali's head. From a series of 100 drawings of Hindu deities created in South India.
Dimensions	Length: 22cm Width: 18cm
Style	Company
Marks and inscriptions	'There was formerly a king named Balychackravurtheea who was sovereign of the two worlds that is the sky and this world - Vistnoo with an intention to deprive himself of his kingdoms came as a begger by name Vamana to beg of him 3 feet of ground.' (Inscribed with titles in Telugu with broken english translations.) '1820'
Object history	Purchased from Mr A. Churchill, 1923.
Subject depicted	Vamana
Bibliographic reference	Archer, Mildred. Company Paintings Indian Paintings of the British period Victoria and Albert Museum Indian Series London: Victoria and Albert Museum, Maplin Publishing, 1992 30 p. ISBN 0944142303
Collection	South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number	IM.428-1923

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Record created	October 2, 2002
Record URL	https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O68224/vamana-painting-unknown/

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