Kathakali Theyyam Wall Plaque - Hand-Painted Kerala Art devotional gift Bani Thani is sometimes called

Bani Thani is sometimes called "India's Mona Lisa" — a Rajasthani miniature painting from the 18th-century Kishangarh court

and why is it on this table

usually featuring animal motifs from the Gond visual vocabulary

this painting also serves as a focal point for meditation and spiritual practice

Kathakali Theyyam Wall Plaque - Hand-Painted Kerala Art devotional gift Bani Thani is sometimes calledThis wall plaque splits a single face down the middle to hold two of Kerala's most striking performance traditions side by side. One half is painted in the fierce red and orange makeup and towering crown associated with Theyyam, the ritual performance art of Northern Malabar; the other half carries the green face, white beard like lips, and ornate headdress of Kathakali, Kerala's classical dance drama. The two halves meet exactly at the centre of the