- Title
- The Planetary Deity Brihaspati (Jupiter)
- Date Made
- circa 1800
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor, gold, silver, and ink on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 6 3/8 x 5 1/2 in. (16.19 x 13.97 cm); Sheet: 7 7/8 x 5 5/8 in. (20.0 x 14.29 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.79.191.8
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
Brihaspati is regarded as the preceptor of wisdom and learning. He is especially associated with religious knowledge, as his very name means "The Lord of Prayer," and his presiding deity (adhidevata) is Brahma, the supreme guru of the gods. He is the celestial regent of Thursday (guruvar) and a guardian of the direction (dikpala) of the Northeast.
This folio [#5] is likely from an astrological series. The inscription along the bottom reads, “Bresyapatta” or “Baresyapatta,” which may be a vernacular spelling of Brihaspati. He is crowned, wears a golden garment, and holds a lotus, bow, arrow, and an indeterminate attribute. He rides in a howdah on a white elephant, which is his vehicle (vahana) used in early modern and contemporary iconography. It unusually has seven trunks, and is thus similar to Airavata, the multi-trunked elephant vehicle of Indra, who is the King of the Gods and dikpala of the East. The uppermost trunk carries an ascetic’s waterpot, which is Brihaspati’s primary attribute. He is accompanied by a mahout with an elephant goad and an attendant waving an honorific fly whisks made from the white tail-hairs of a yak (cauri or chowri).
