Cat and lobster – (Manik Lal Das) ◄ Previous Next ►

Artist: Manik Lal Das

Date: 2000

Museum: Museum of Art - Photography (Bangalore, India)

Technique: Watercolour

This is a contemporary patua watercolour of a cat holding a lobster in its mouth. The cat has Vaishnava caste marks on its forehead. Images like these which were popular among the general population of 19th century Kolkata acted as a warning to be wary of fraud brahmins who trap innocent people just as a sly cat traps the helpless lobster.