Description Lucknow (North India) reverse painting on glass This rare reverse-glass painting depicts Ganesha, a deity widely venerated across India. Ganesha is seated on a lotus asan or seat, leaning against a bolster. The deity, coloured in red, is four-armed, crowned, and richly adorned with jewellery, and wears a patterned lower garment in yellow and white. Beside him stands a female attendant holding a fly-whisk, dressed in elaborate courtly attire. The figures are set against a blue ground with a balustrade behind them, framed by decorative curtains above. Reverse glass paintings were introduced into India in the late 18th century from China via the China Trade. Indian artists adopted the technique of reverse glass painting partly on account of its novelty and also because it was a relatively inexpensive medium which could produce rich effects. The technique proved extremely popular and soon spread through western and southern India and even to former provincial Mughal capitals of Oudh and Murshidabad. Framed Size (cms): 24.5(H) x 19.5(W) x 1(D) Framed Size (inches): 9.5(H) x 7.5(W) x 0.5(D)
