Keywords
portraiture
the Sikh Gurus
material religion
How to Cite
Abstract
This paper argues that Guru Nanak came to be painted in Hindu-like frontal in single portrait, which implies the preexisting custom of the production and consumption of images of the Sikh Gurus. The idea that he is deified in these paintings is based on the theory that a frontal view is used for worshipping the sitter. Although Guru Nanak’s face was represented in three different modes, namely frontal, profile and three quarter face, in the late 17th and 18th centuries, a three-quarter view of the face has been dominant in his images since the 19th century, when his attire and accessories also changed from those of a Hindu ascetic or a Muslim saint to those of a Sikh Guru, exemplified by a turban. It is also noticeable that the later Gurus were painted primarily in portrait, a fact that may manifest their authoritative genealogy against other contemporary successors.References
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