Durga with a violin

Sat Aug 8 09:25:53 UTC 2009

Although I feel a bit hesitant to venture into the field of higher Indology, is it possible that the violin is simply a Western interpretation of an Indian ritual sword, much like the ones Kali is carrying. The curves of the blade of the sword could perhaps be misconstrued as having the shape of a distorted violin. It is also obvious that the seventeenth century Western observers did not know what they were looking at and tried to interpret forms in their own visual idiom. The hindu Gods look a bit Greekish in their representation. Hence the violin (which is originally a Middle-eastern instrument anyway).
Victor

-----Original Message-----
From: Indology [mailto:INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Viktoria Lyssenko
Sent: Saturday, August 08, 2009 6:43 AM
To: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Durga with a violin

It is absolutely great! Thank you so much!
Victoria

08.08.09, 02:06, "Frances Pritchett" <fp7 at COLUMBIA.EDU>:

> http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1700_1799/picart/picart.html
> Scroll down to the second image, and you'll find Picart's version, 
> including a violin and a drum; a very large scan is available.
> all the best,
> fp
> Viktoria Lyssenko wrote:
> > Dear Dr. Claudine Bautze-Picron!
> > Thank you very much, I saw this representation of Shiva with a bottle in his hand and I was also wondering whether it was one and the same pictureas that of the presumed Durga, only slightly modified, as other attributes coincide with those of Gurga. In Lebedev's book the image was presented and discribed in details as  Durga's.  Have you any idea how to get access to the original picture?
> > Victoria
> >
> >   
> >> Dear Dr Lysenko,
> >>
> >> This is definitely neither Durga nor Sarasvati, but Siva as he has been represented by Philip Baldaeus in his book published in Dutch in 1672 and translated into English in 1703 (search on http://www.ubka.uni-karlsruhe.de/kvk.html for the exact title). This illustration appeared there as a wood-engraving and has been reproduced also by Partha Mitter in his "Much Maligned Monster" (Oxford: Clarendon press, 1977, fig. 28 p. 65 & see pp. 57-59 & 64). It is there evident that there is no violin in the hands of the god, but an object which looks like a bottle (which also does not make much sense). Apparently, the engraving included in the PDF document to which you refer copied the original by Baldaeus (reversing left and right and misunderstanding the god's attributes - but Baldaeus himself did not understand all of them !).
> >>
> >> Claudine Bautze-Picron
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Indology [mailto:INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Viktoria Lyssenko
> >> Sent: Freitag, 7. August 2009 15:39
> >> To: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
> >> Subject: Re: Durga with a violin
> >>
> >> It is presented byLebedev as Durga. Please, have a look yourself, p.16
> >> http://iling.spb.ru/projects/lebedev/part1.pdf
> >>
> >>     
> >>> If it is a violin, the image must be Saraswati . She use Veena - and
> >>> she is the goddess of knowledge
> >>> mahendra
> >>> On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 5:57 AM, Viktoria Lyssenko wrote:
> >>>       
> >>>> Dear All,
> >>>> Could anybody indicate where to find a good resolition gravure of Durga
> >>>> with a violin in one of her hands? There is one in a book of Gerasim
> >>>> Lebedev, Russian musician and traveller of the early 19th century, but it's
> >>>> quality is not well enough.
> >>>> Thank you in advance!
> >>>> Victoria Lysenko
> >>>> Institute of Philosophy,
> >>>> Russian Academy of Sciences
> >>>>         
> >>> -- 
> >>> Dr Mahendra Kumar Mishra
> >>> State Tribal Education Coordinator,
> >>> Orissa Primary Education Programme Authority,
> >>> Unit- V Bhubaneswar 751001,India
> >>>
> >>> Residential Address:
> >>> D-9 Flat Kalpana Area Bhubaneswar 751014,India
> >>> phone 91+674-2310167(r)
> >>> 094376-36436(m)
> >>>       
> >> Новая почта пришла http://mail.yandex.ru/promo/neo/welcome/sign 
> >>     
> >
> >
> > Яндекс.Почта. Поищите спам где-нибудь еще http://mail.yandex.ru/nospam/sign 
> >
> >   

-- 
Новая почта пришла http://mail.yandex.ru/promo/neo/welcome/sign