Page 159 - March 23 2022 Boinghams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art

An Illustration From A
Bhagavata Purana Series

The present illustration from the Bhagavata Purana depicts Krishna, Balarama,
Vasudeva and Devaki entering the court formally occupied by King Kamsa.
Later in the continuous narrative, Vasudeva and Devaki sit in awe of their
sons Krishna and Balarama, who recently freed them from imprisonment and
overthrew the demonic king. The parents are realizing their boys are now the
lords of the universe. The surrounding palace rooms are filled with the wives of
Kamsa and his courtiers who now look to Krishna for comfort.
This work has been variably dated to between 1790, by P. Banerjee, and 1830
by S. Czuma. The work compares favorably with the workshop of Purkhu,
whose similarly large-format scenes are marked by the diagonal compositions
and complex architectural structures in the present painting. A window
between Krishna and Vasudeva reveals an abundant landscape of cascading
floral splays, uniquely in the style of Purkhu most associated with his Gita
Govinda series. The red and white Devanagari inscriptions hovering over each
figure are also commonly found on paintings attributed to Purkhu. However,
some features do offer a distinction between this painting and the hand of
Purkhu, as the architectural details are far more resplendent, abound with
lotus ornamentation, and the artist has demonstrated a greater capability
of portraying character’s faces straight on. In light of these distinguishing
features, one might attribute this work to either the workshop of Purkhu or a
slightly later master.

The present painting closely resembles a painting from a Bhagavata Purana
series attributed to Purkhu from the Sven Ghalin collection, sold at Sotheby’s
London, 6 October 2015, lot 101.

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