Saraswati

The elegant painted icon of Saraswati, the four-armed goddess of learning holding the musical instrument Veena, is done by a traditional artist of the Mysore School, Chitragara Krishnappa.

The Mysore school of paintings mostly represent sacred icons which are objects of worship. This painting of ‘Saraswati’ is lavishly ornamented with gold and silver leaf but is nevertheless subtle in its effect. The painted surface of the work is slightly raised in relief with limestone paste on which the embellishments are done. Because of the way, the enthroned figure of the goddess is ornamentally framed in an arch of sorts, the dramatic impact of the encounter with the icon is enhanced.