Page 119 - Bonhams Indian and Himalayan Art September 2013
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                                 An illustration from a bhagavata purana series: Narasimha defeats Hiranyakashipu
                                 Kangra, circa 1800
                                 Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; the dazzling Narasimha emerges from the central green
                                 column and dispatches the evil king Hiranyakshipu, with Prahalada and female devotee paying
                                 homage on each side.
                                 Image: 5 3/4 x 8 in. (14.7 x 20.4 cm); Folio: 7 1/2 x 9 3/4 in. (19 x 24.7 cm)
                                 $10,000 - 15,000

                                 This classic composition presents Narasimha in a stunning abstracted form with a coiffure-like mane
                                 and a gaping mouth revealing irregular sharp teeth. Hiranyashipu is depicted with remarkable
                                 realism, his face is finely detail with a true expression of distress. His long hair exposed by the
                                 toppled turban, strings of pearls, and garment ribbons all conform with the exposed intestines that
                                 fall from his stomach.

                                 Prahalada and the female devotee are sensitively drawn and their passive expressions do not reflect
                                 the horrific scene before them, but are calm in the knowledge of the avatar’s ability to vanquish
                                 evil. Compare with a slightly earlier version in Pal, Indian Paintings in the Los Angeles County
                                 Museum of Art, Lalit Kala, New Delhi, 1982, no. 4, (M.82.42.8). Also compare with a very closely
                                 related page in Simon Ray, November 2010, no. 47.

                                 Provenance:
                                 Private New York Collection
                                 Acquired by the present owner’s grandfather in Detroit in early 1960s
                                 Royal Mandi Collection

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