Ramakrishna Being Watched Over by Kali

Images of sadhaks accompanied by their patron deities are a common theme in Bengali devotional artwork. Here we see the ecstatic saint, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, seated cross-legged upon a platform. His eyes are focused upon an area slightly above the viewers line of sight, suggesting that he may be gazing upon an image of his patron goddess, or perhaps in the midst of one of his famous trance states. Never far from her children, Kali the mother gazes lovingly down upon the saint and her lower right hand seems like it may be reaching out to pat him gently on the head.