Page 222 - March 23 2022 Boinghams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art

492
A PAINTING OF RADHA AND KRISHNA SHELTERING
UNDER A PARASOL
INDIA, RAJASTHAN, BUNDI, 18TH CENTURY
Folio 12¡ x 9æ in. (31.4 x 24.8 cm.)
Image 9¿ x 6Ω in. (23.2 x 16.5 cm.)
$15,000-20,000
PROVENANCE:
Arthur L. and Genevieve S. Funk collection, Boston, acquired 2 January 1970.
Skinner Inc., 16 May 2015, lot 10.

Radha and Krishna take shelter under a makeshift parasol of leaves and a lotus
stalk as a sudden storm befalls upon their saunter. It worries them none, as
the lovers gaze deeply into each other’s eyes and continue on their leisurely
stroll. The scene alludes to a monumental moment in Krishna mythology when
he lifts Mount Govardhan to shelter the village of Braj from Indra’s violent
thunderstorm. In the Krishna-Radha narrative, this motif is used to convey the
powerful rasa, or emotive essence, of the couple’s love. Their divine embrace
breathes life into all that witness it: a family of sacred cattle prance around the
thick grassy knoll and the river is alive with blossoming lotus flowers, as the
viewer is invited to share in the passionate enamor. A very similar painting, but
in the style of the Jaipur school, is at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
(acc. no. M.87.278.15)

220