Page 124 - Bonhams Indian and Himalayan Art September 2013

185
An illustration from a nayika series: Krishna beckons Radha to his bedchamber
Mandi, circa 1820-30
Opaque watercolor on paper; with the silver moon and sparkling stars above, Krishna leans forward
gesturing to Radha to join him on the sumptuously appointed bed, Radha and her attendant look
down in their attempt to conceal their collective delight, pairs of pheasants and other water birds
feature prominently in the background.
Folio: 11 1/2 x 9 3/8 in. (29.2 x 23.8 cm)
$25,000 - 35,000
The unusual placement of the ornate Victorian style armchair supporting a jewel-encrusted gold
pandan in the foreground appears to be an anomaly in later Kangra and Mandi painting. The chair
type appeared to be favored by members of Sikh nobility as seen in a portrait of Ranjit Singh with
Hira Singh in the Kapany Collection published in Strong, The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms, London,
1997, no. 79.
Also compare with Sotheby’s New York, 16 & 17 September 1998, lot 225 and a painting in the
Victoria and Albert Museum published in Archer, Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills, London,
1973, no. 58, p. 365.
Provenance:
Private Texas Collection
Bonhams, London, 12 October 2006, lot 284

122 | Bonhams