Playing Cards
16585F
From: India | Maharashtra
Curatorial Section: Asian
Object Number | 16585F |
Current Location | Collections Storage |
Culture | Indian | Hindu |
Provenience | India | Maharashtra |
Date Made | 19th Century - 1893 |
Section | Asian |
Materials | Paper | Lacquer |
Technique | Lacquered |
Iconography | Bana-Dhanus | Fish | Sankha | Parashu | Sword |
Description | Ganjifa cards. Dasavatara pack. 70 round playing cards of lacquered paper. Each card is red on one side. On the other side at center are motifs from one of ten suits repeated one to ten times on each card. The suits are: 8 with red Bana-Dhanus or bows and arrows on a yellow background representing Rama, 5 with white fish on a red background representing Matsya, 5 with white Sankha or conch shells on a black background representing the Buddha, 6 with yellow Parashu or axes on a brown background representing Parashurama, 8 with yellow swords on a black background representing Kalkin, 8 with yellow water pots on green background representing Vamana, 8 with yellow lion on a green background representing Narasimha, 8 with green boar on a yellow background representing Varaha, 7 with yellow turtle on a red background representing Kurma, and 7 with quoits on a brown background representing Krishna. |
Outside Diameter | 7.9 cm |
Credit Line | Purchased from / at the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893 |
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