The Metropolitan Museum of Art is currently featuring an exhibition titled “Household Gods: Hindu Devotional Prints, 1860–1930,” which showcases a vibrant collection of chromolithograph prints that blend religious devotion with artistic innovation. These prints, originating in India during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, illustrate the intersection of traditional Hindu iconography with European printing techniques introduced during the British Raj.

Chromolithography, a process developed in Europe by the 1830s involving separate printing of colors, allowed for the mass production of richly detailed images. In India, this technology was quickly adopted to create devotional prints for private altars, resulting in an explosion of visual representations of Hindu deities. The exhibition highlights how this fusion of cultural influences and technological advancements produced works that serve both as religious objects and as striking examples of aesthetic creativity.

A central figure in the exhibition is Raja Ravi Varma, a South Indian nobleman and artist trained in European oil painting methods. Varma was instrumental in popularizing these devotional images, founding his own press to disseminate his iconic depictions of Hindu gods and mythological figures widely. His approach combined traditional Indian themes with European techniques, including visual devices reminiscent of Western religious art, such as halos akin to those seen in Albrecht Dürer’s woodcuts.

The prints display an extraordinary range of subjects and styles. One standout piece from 1886, produced by the Chitraprakash Press in Mumbai, depicts the god Vishnu reclining on the serpent Shesha. This print exemplifies the intricate layering of symbolic elements common to the series: Vishnu’s dynamic, blue-skinned form contrasts with the sinuous curves of Shesha and is surrounded by other figures from Hindu mythology including Lakshmi, Hanuman, Hayagriva, and Garuda. Despite the complexity, the composition achieves a harmonious balance through deliberate use of color and spatial arrangement.

The exhibition also includes later works, such as a World War II-era print from Uttar Pradesh, which portrays Vishnu and Lakshmi in a more accessible, human-scaled manner, standing knee-deep in the cosmic ocean beside the divine serpent. Another notable figure in the collection is Shiva, particularly a monochrome lithograph titled “Lord of the Universe in Benares,” alongside his consort Kali. Kali’s depiction is marked by dramatic symbolism and vivid imagery, showing the goddess adorned with a necklace of severed heads and a skirt of arms, brandishing a sword and stepping on Shiva’s chest. Her dark blue-black form contrasted with blood red accents creates a visually powerful and compelling presence in the exhibition.

The Metropolitan Museum is rotating several prints throughout the exhibition’s run, reflecting the breadth and diversity of this unique artistic tradition. The display not only reveals the devotional practices of the period but also highlights how colonial-era technological exchange influenced the visual language of Hindu art, resulting in a distinctive and abundant body of work that continues to captivate audiences today.