Indian Bone Playing Card

Winged green figure kneels under a load while a tall companion carries a trident.

This painted bone playing card is from India, and dates to the early 20th century. It is pigment & bone. Playing cards reached India in the early modern period, and the best-known Indian form is the circular ganjifa, traditionally painted by hand in sets of eight or twelve suits. Round panel with a strip of blue dusk sky and a small red flag at the left. A green kneeling figure with wings and a crown holds a tiered shrine overhead. A standing man in orange holds a trident and a flower. It is 1.75 inches in diameter.

Heavy lifting, delicate brushwork, and a very steady kneel.