Aries (Mangala), from a series of Astrological Paintings

Alternate TitleAries

CultureIndian

Dateca. 1810

MediumOpaque watercolor and gold on paper

DimensionsImage: 7 3/4 × 6 inches (19.69 × 15.24 cm)
Sheet: 10 5/8 × 8 3/4 inches (26.99 × 22.23 cm)

Credit LineGift of Wayne and Nancy Hunnicutt

Object number2019.63.1

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

South and Southeast Asian Art

Terms

DescriptionThe painting identified as Aries (the planet Mars, or Mangala, in India) depicts the red, four-armed god riding atop a ram against a light blue field representing sky. Aries wears a gold, bejeweled crown and carries a trident, a spear, and a mace. This painting is from an album depicting the planets and constellations in figural form. Mars and his ram vehicle (vahana) are centered in vertical composition, framed in an oval border with delicate floral decoration and suronded in a narrow dark blued floral border and a pink outer border.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Mapping the Heavens: Art, Astronomy, and Exchange Between the Islamic Lands and Europe, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, December 14, 2024–January 11, 2026, no cat.

Provenance

Royal Library of Mandi, Mandi, India, until 1969;

Private collection, Germany, 1969–2005;

Purchased at Indian and Southeast Asian Art: Including Modern Indian Paintings from the Wilberding Collection, Sotheby’s, New York, September 20, 2005, Lot 120 as Fifteen Illustrations of Hindu Deities, Avataras, Mythical Beasts and Animals of the Zodiac, by Nancy and Wayne Hunnicutt, Sebastopol, CA, 2005–present.

Published References

Indian and Southeast Asian Art: Including Modern Indian Paintings from the Wilberding Collection (New York: Sotheby’s and Co., 2005), 98-99, fig. 120, (repro.).

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