Antique Indian Shiva Cotton Tapestry

We are of the opinion that this is from the late 19th century, circa 1880.

Made of cotton and hand-painted with an image of Shiva, heavily bejeweled with her third eye and an elaborate headress that curls and ends in what appear to be lotus flowers and green birds of paradise on either side. Her hands appear to be holding a highly decorated bowl with lotus flower.

Very vibrant colors, but the age of the piece is evident from the minor discoloration as evidenced on the white pars in the photos and the transference of what appears to be some red letters or script.

We believe this to be a highly desirable piece of Southeast Asian or Indian textile or tapestry and is most likely from Central India as the original collector seems to have had a ‘connection’ with Central India, in that, most of the items he collected were from that region and most were purchased by him at either Christie’s or Sotheby’s NY Auctions between 1999 and 2008.