Posthumous Portrait of a Queen as Parvati

Kings and queens were believed to have a divine origin, being human incarnations of gods on earth. It was thought that they were reunited at death with the deities from whom they originated. Posthumous commemorative royal portraits such as this one celebrate that moment coinciding with death when the temporal ruler is reintegrated with the original deity. In this case, an as yet unidentified historical queen is depicted as the Hindu goddess Parvati, the consort of Shiva.

She stands on Shiva's vehicle, the bull Nandi, and is flanked by her two children. Standing in an unusual yogic pose is Ganesha, the potbellied, elephant-headed god who controls obstacles; seated is Karttikeya, the god of war and general of the army of the gods.