Indian Bone Playing Card

Many-armed warrior waves a trident and a mace on a green meadow.

This painted bone playing card is from India, and dates to the early 20th century. It is pigment & bone. Bone is a hard, smooth material that takes pigment well, and it has long been cut into small pieces for gaming, inlay and decoration. Round panel with a dotted border and a blue strip of sky over low hills. A red-skinned figure with a great spray of arms holds weapons, facing a small child and an adult with a club. The grass is dotted with white flowers. It is 1.75 inches in diameter.

Plenty of arms, and every one of them busy.