India | 1897
Coloured transfer lithograph by A. R. Raghunath (Ananda Rao Raghunath)
Key Features
Mahālakṣmī - Fortune Crowned with Auspicious Intelligence
This refined late-19th-century lithograph presents Mahālakṣmī as the serene axis of prosperity, beauty, and order. Rendered frontally with classical restraint, the goddess appears not as a narrative figure but as a sovereign presence-composed, radiant, and unwavering-affirming prosperity as a state of harmony rather than excess.
The Parrots - Symbols of Auspicious Speech, Desire & Fertility
Flanking Mahālakṣmī are two parrots, birds traditionally associated in Indian iconography with eloquence, love, and the transmission of sacred sound. Their presence introduces a subtle yet potent layer of meaning: wealth flourishes where speech is truthful, relationships are nurtured, and intention is aligned. The parrots echo Lakṣmī’s blessings outward, suggesting abundance that multiplies through communication and right conduct.
Jewelled Majesty and Sacred Adornment
The goddess is richly adorned with layered gold necklaces, pearls, armlets, earrings, and an elaborate crown, each meticulously detailed in the lithographic medium. In devotional aesthetics, such ornamentation is not decorative alone-it visualizes śrī, the auspicious glow that sustains households, commerce, and kingship alike.
Haloed Stillness - Śrī Made Visible
A luminous halo encircles Mahālakṣmī’s head, marking her as the embodiment of divine auspiciousness. This aureole transforms the portrait into a field of blessing, emphasizing her role as sthira-śrī-stable fortune that endures through balance, ethics, and devotion.
Academic Naturalism Meets Popular Devotion
Produced as a coloured transfer lithograph in 1897, this work exemplifies the golden age of Indian print culture. Artists like Raghunath bridged academic realism with devotional clarity, making sacred imagery widely accessible to homes, shops, and shrines across colonial India. The result is dignified, intimate, and culturally transformative.
Lakṣmī Beyond Wealth - Order, Beauty, Continuity
This image subtly reinforces Lakṣmī’s deeper philosophical identity: prosperity as cosmic order. Her calm gaze, symmetrical composition, and harmonious palette convey a worldview in which wealth is sustained not by accumulation, but by balance—between desire and restraint, speech and silence, giving and receiving.
24 × 36 in Museum-Grade Print
Presented as a 24 × 36 inch poster, this reproduction is printed on 350 GSM archival matte paper, preserving the jewel tones, crisp linework, and historic texture of the original lithograph. Ideal for home altars, workspaces, collectors of Indian print history, or admirers of classical Hindu iconography.
Why You’ll Love It
This Mahālakṣmī with Parrots poster feels quietly powerful. The pairing of serene divinity with living symbols of speech and desire creates a visual theology of prosperity that is intelligent, graceful, and enduring. It elevates any space with calm assurance-inviting abundance that is thoughtful, ethical, and alive.
Order Now
Invite the blessings of Mahālakṣmī-fortune guided by wisdom, beauty, and auspicious speech- into your space.
Available in 24 × 36 inches, with framed and unframed options, exclusively at The Soma Store.