Page 113 - Indian, Himalaya and Asian Art Bonhams Setp 2015

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TWO FOLIOS FROM A BIHARI
SATSAI SERIES
Mewar, cica 1719
Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on
paper;two lines of Devanagari in the top
register and numbered ‘51’ and ‘158’; ‘51’
shows Krishna pleads with Radha to join him
in his bed chamber below all prepared with
pan, perfumes and wine for their tryst; ‘158’
shows Krishna in his leafy bower negotiating
with the sati over the details of the wedding,
priests consult the texts on the roof and one
venerates Vishnu in the upper corner.
Image: 7 5/8 x 7 1/4 in. (19.4 x 18.5 cm),
the larger; Folio: 10 x 8 5/8 in. (25.4 x 22
cm), the larger
$10,000 - 15,000

The Sat Sai follows in the tradition of religious
texts exploring the romance of Krishna and
Radha. It contains couplets on neeit (moral
lessons), shringara (love), and bhakti (devotion).
Bihari Lal was a poet at the court of Mughal
Emperor Shah Jahan. He later moved to the
court of Raja Jai Singh of Amber.

For comparative examples, see Topsfield,
Court Painting at Udaipur, Zurich 2001, pp.
143-4, no. 144. A closely related composition
to ‘59’ sold, Artcurial, Paris, 12 May 2015,
lot 269. Others sold at Bonhams, London, 6
October 2008, lot 390, Sotheby’s, New York,
28 October 1991, lot 229 and Pundoles,
Mumbai, 12 March 2014, lot 31.

Published
Ludwig Habighorst, Blumen, Baeume,
Goettergaerten in indischen Miniaturen,
Ragaputra Edition Koblenz 2011, p. 75,
fig. 45. (‘59’)

Ludwig Habighorst, et al., Love for Pleasure:
Betel, Tobacco, Wine and Drugs in Indian
Miniatures, Ragaputra Edition, Auflage, 2007,
p. 37, fig. 17 (‘51’)

Harsha Dehejia, Festival of Krishna, New
Delhi, 2008, p.140 (‘158’)

Provenance
Private Collection, Germany

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