Painted Pichwai From Nathdwara Rajasthan - Ca 1900 Origin - Tibet & Mongolia The front is veneered red

The front is veneered red elm (keyaki wood) with Sendai style iron hardware lock plates and cast iron handles

These are families of direct male descendants sharing the same surname

Such niches were traditionally built into the walls beside doorways to hold small oil lamps or candles

and stories of various Indian cultures

There is a compartment in his back as is common with ancestor figures which would have held offerings such as paper money or herbs

Painted Pichwai From Nathdwara Rajasthan - Ca 1900 Origin - Tibet & Mongolia The front is veneered redThis painted Indian pichwai (pichvai) textile dates to the early 20th century, circa 1900. The exquisite handpainting depicts the gopis, a group of milkmaids from Braj. The gopis were Krishna's devotees & consorts, doting on him with an intense unconditional love and devotion (bhakti). So intense was their love, when they thought of Krishna, they lost their minds and thoughts. The gopis are seen here accompanied by their cows and nandis under a golden