Thanjavur reverse glass painting of Meenakshi
Meenakshi has a beautiful prabhavali around her with a yali’s face at the top, and hamsas either side. The hamsas are repeated above as column capitals on either side of drapes in the palatial setting. Meenakshi, the fish-eyed goddess, is a tutelary deity of Madurai who is considered an avatar of the Goddess Parvati. She is the divine consort of Sundareswarar, a form of Shiva. Meenakshi is a Tamil-Sanskrit term meaning "fish-eyed", (denoting beauty) derived from the words mina (fish) and akshi (eyes). Size with frame; 28½" x 21½".