Playing Cards

16585B

From: India | Maharashtra

Curatorial Section: Asian

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Object Number 16585B
Current Location Collections Storage
Culture Indian | Hindu
Provenience India | Maharashtra
Date Made 19th Century - 1893
Section Asian
Materials Paper | Lacquer
Technique Lacquered
Iconography Varaha? | Vishnu | Hindu Deity | Bana-Dhanus | Fish | Sankha | Parashu | Horse | Rider | Shula | Sword | Khetaka
Description

Ganjifa cards. 55 from a Dasavatara pack. 3 from a Aryadev pack. Round playing cards of lacquered paper. Each card is red on one side. There are two types of Dasavatara cards: The first type contains figures. Two cards with horse and rider, one card with Varaha, the boar headed incarnation of Vishnu chasing a green figure and one card with a multi-armed Hindu deity, Kartavirya, facing a blue figure, probably Vishnu. The lower segment bears the initials of Narayan Ramachandra Kelkar in Devanagari script amid foliate decoration. The second type of cards are in suits with one to ten motifs appearing on the face of the card. The suits include 9 with bows and arrows on yellow background representing Rama, 9 with fish on a red background representing Matsya, 9 with Sankha or conch shells on a black background representing Buddha, 9 with water pots on a green background representing Vamana, 9 with Parashu or axes on a brown background representing Parashurama, and 6 with a quoit on a brown background representing Krishna. From the Aryadev pack there are 3 with vedas on a green background representing Brahma.

Outside Diameter 7.3 cm
Credit Line Purchased from / at the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893

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