Divine couple seated in a lotus blossomearly 1800s · Study 1997.118

Context from the museum

A gigantic, thousand-petaled lotus flower provides an intimate setting for the lovers. They sit on the seed pod of another full-blown lotus flower, which indicates their transcendent nature by elevating them from the mire of the earth. Shown with full face forward in all white, the four-armed male deity has the all-seeing third eye in his brow and holds only a manuscript. The red goddess on his lap grasps a lotus flower in one hand, which communicates her benign and peaceful nature. At the bottom are offerings of flowers, incense, oil lamps, and jeweled cups of pure water or liquor.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

The five-part butter lamp at the lower right is lit with flames, and smoke wafts from the censer.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected sheet measurement for Divine couple seated in a lotus blossom is 9 cm wide and 13.3 cm high, equivalent to approximately 3.5 × 5.2 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.68:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.01 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 3.0% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 145.5 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Divine couple seated in a lotus blossom in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Gum tempera and gold on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 9 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?