Creative Commons License
Erotic Position: “Kissing Both Eyes”
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
As they make love, this couple gazes intently at one another, locking eyes. The inscription at the top of the page describes the scene as “kissing both eyes,” and indicates that it belongs to a series of pictures depicting erotic positions. The couple’s jewelry and the man’s headdress suggest that they belong to the royal house of Kotah. By painting the man blue, the artist associates him with Krishna, the blue-skinned god, who is celebrated as a great lover and worshiped as the supreme deity.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Sharma, New Delhi, India [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, August 1984, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 2001-2003 | Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. |
Geographies
India, Rajasthan, Kotah (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 5 9/16 x W: 4 3/16 in. (14.1 x 10.6 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2013
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.924