Page 119 - Bonhams Indian and Himalayan Art September 2013
P. 119
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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
Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art | 117