#humpback mahseer

[arthistoryanimalia]

For #FishFriday:

The Goddess Ganga

c. 1650-75

India (Mandi, Himachal Pradesh)

opaque watercolor, gold, & silver on paper

on display at Philadelphia Museum of Art

“The Hindu goddess Ganga personifies India's most important river, the holy Ganges, that begins high in the Himalayan mountains and flows south into the Bay of Bengal. Here she holds a vessel brimming with Ganges water while sitting atop an enormous fish — the humpback mahseer, a species of carp native to the Ganges.

Ganga also holds a lotus flower, a symbol of purity and abundance. Mythical creatures peek from the waves and waterbirds soar across dark monsoon clouds.”