Two Disciples of Chaitanya (Advaita and Nityananda)

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Two Disciples of Chaitanya (Advaita and Nityananda)

1875-1890

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

This painting belongs to a distinctive tradition of Indian painting known as Kalighat, which is marked by large images, sweeping lines, and simple color schemes. Kalighat paintings were made primarily at the end of the nineteenth century to sell as souvenirs to visitors at the shrine of the goddess Kali in Calcutta. The subject matter not only included the goddess, but also other Hindu deities, animals, and miscellaneous religious characters. In this case, disciples of the holy man Chaitanya (died 1533) were deemed salable. Chaitanya was considered by many to be an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, and was especially revered in Bengal as a beggar god.

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Object Details

Title:

Two Disciples of Chaitanya (Advaita and Nityananda)

Date:

1875-1890

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Watercolor on paper

Dimensions:

Sheet: 18 × 11 1/16 inches (45.7 × 28.1 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Gift of Stella Kramrisch, 1969

Accession Number:

1969-231-6

Geography:

Made in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), West Bengal, Bengal Region, India, Asia

Context:

Period: Modern Period

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