Art Print – Lakshmi in Gilded Mosaic

Provenance

This art print presents 'Lakshmi', goddess of prosperity, fortune and abundance, whose worship lies at the heart of Diwali, in a strikingly modern composition. Rather than filling the frame, the goddess is placed at its right-hand edge, which cuts through her face along its centre so that only one eye, one cheek and half of a gentle smile remain in view. The rest of the picture is given over to a deep teal-black field, and the whole image is rendered as though assembled from countless small tiles. The result borrows the ornament of Indian devotional imagery – the crown, the jewellery, the patterned drape – and sets it within the restraint of a contemporary portrait, where what is withheld matters as much as what is shown.

Her crown rises in a series of gold, leaf-like points above a band of teal patterned with a fine gold lattice and a band of deep red, fastened at the brow by a round ornament set with a dark green stone. A broad gold ornament curls outward beside her ear in spiralling coils, and beneath it hangs a bell-shaped 'jhumka' earring fringed with small gold beads. Dark hair falls behind her shoulder. A red mark sits at the centre of her forehead, and her almond-shaped eye glances sideways towards the empty field, lending the composition its quiet tension. Layered necklaces of gold beads rest at her throat; her maroon garment is scattered with small gold flowers, crossed by a gold-edged teal sash of the same motif, and a patterned gold band encircles her upper arm. The sheer weight of gold – in the crown, the ear ornaments, the layered necklaces and the flowered cloth – suits a goddess so closely associated with wealth and good fortune, and gives the portrait a warm, lamp-like glow.

The palette is restricted to gold, ivory, maroon and teal against near-black, a combination that makes the ornament glow without any need for bright colour. Within the dark field, faint concentric swirls are traced in the same tile pattern, adding slow movement to what might otherwise read as flat negative space. The tessellated surface – each small tile outlined, the gold areas built from curving bands of fragments – is a visual effect within the original image; the Brahm piece is a made-to-order print that reproduces that mosaic appearance, not a work assembled from tiles.

Disclaimer:

• The frames shown are for display purposes only and are not included with the artwork.
• As these are made-to-order designer pieces, expect minor colour variations from the displayed artwork.