Description: South India, early 19th century. A local depiction of Parvati in the form of Nagamata, the mother of snakes. In Hinduism, Parvati is the spouse of Shiva associated with destruction. Standing in the samabhanga pose with incisions in her body to suggest an emaciated form of the normally beautiful Parvati. She is surrounded by hooded cobras and also the lotus or camara (flywhisker) in her right hand is wrapped with cobras. The worship of snakes as a symbol of death and ephemerality in South India is not uncommon. She wears a typical South Indian conical mukuta and on her forehead, the third eye is applied. H 20 cm.