Ganesha with Sidhi and Ridhi

An embellished oleograph of Ganesha enthroned with Siddhi and Riddhi, attended to by two attendants with flywhisks, who are seen standing behind the throne. This print is derived from a painting by Raja Ravi Varma and depicts Ganesha as the four-armed Shakti Ganapathi – two arms embracing his consorts, and the two in the rear holding the noose (pasha) and elephant goad (ankusha).

The practice of embellishing prints by hand emerged in India in the late 19th century. Fabrics, sequins and beads were sewn onto the prints, and in some cases, even semiprecious gemstones and 'zari' or gold and silver threads were used – adding a new visual, tactile and representational dimension to the prints.