Page 38 - Sotheby's Indian Himalayan and Southeast Asian Wroks of Art March 2019

928

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION The triad worshipped herein – Jagannatha or The margins of the paubha are just as remarkable
A PAUBHA DEPICTING THE WORSHIP ‘Lord of the World’– together with Balabhadra as the central image. Rendered against a bright
OF LORD JAGANNATHA and Subhadra, is a rare, syncretic amalgam of red ground typical of Nepali scroll painting are
not just the Hindu traditions of Vaishnavism,
the heroic exploits of the divine Lord Krishna
Nepal, 18th Century Shaivism and Shakta but is also revered in related in the Bhagavata Purana. We see Krishna
Buddhism and even finds mention in Jain in his childhood and youth subjugating demons,
depicting a large, elaborate, walled temple religious literature. Some consider the abstract, engaging in play with his companions or gopis
complex centering a sanctum capped by a somewhat aniconic representation of the deities and ultimately vanquishing his evil uncle Kamsa,
towering dome dedicated to the Lord Jagannatha
accompanied by his siblings Balabhadra and – carved out of wooden logs – to be related to each narrative represented through a single,
autochthonous, pre-Vedic practices. It is true
climactic visual. On the top in horizontal format
Subhadra, surrounded by adorants and devotees, that the brightly painted square faces, pillar-like are key scenes from the final chapters of the epic
with numerous subsidiary shrines housing the bodies and circular geometric features makes Ramayana depicting Lord Rama’s victory over the
pantheon of Brahminical deities, the foreground
bearing a lively processional scene on the seaside this image instantly identifiable, although the demon king Ravana.
artists of the present painting have depicted the
where images are undergoing ritual immersion in triad in a decidedly more anthropomorphic style. The cult of Lord Jagannatha was popular in the
the company of turtles and other sea creatures, Kathmandu Valley since the time of the Malla
the periphery of the textile bearing vignettes What is certain is that the creators of this work rulers. Kathmandu’s Darbar Square is home to at
relating the miracles in the life of Lord Krishna had precise knowledge of the temple complex least two shrines dedicated to Jagannatha built
with scenes from the epic Ramayana in the upper at Puri. Starting with particular architectural by Mahendra Malla and Pratap Malla in the late
register. elements such as the Singhadwara or lion gate Sixteenth Century. Rulers of both the Malla and
guarding the entrance and the Arunastambha later Gorkha dynasties sent lavish gifts to the
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 13639. pillar in front of the sanctum, to the depiction temple at Puri and visited the shrine personally
72⅞ by 62½ in. (185 by 158.7 cm.)
of every single subsidiary shrine dedicated to worship. The paubha was clearly created
This unique and remarkable paubha has few, if to a plethora of deities including Vimaladevi, to commemorate such a ritual pilgrimage and
any comparables. The exquisite detail with which Mahalakshmi, Saraswati, Bhuvaneshwari, indeed the words ‘... malla’ in Devanagari script
the temple complex of Puri in Orissa is depicted is Ganapati, Hanuman, Eshaneshwara and the are indistinctly inscribed below the turbaned
unmatched. This shrine on the shores of the Bay complete dasavataras of Vishnu, and culminating Royal figure with folded palms seen kneeling
of Bengal, dedicated to Jagannatha, an emanation in the Nilachakra disc atop the central dome on the left of the deity, thereby confirming an
of the Lord Vishnu, was established in the Twelfth with its long curling pennant, every single detail Eighteenth Century date for the painting.
Century by King Anantavarman Chodaganga is lovingly observed and rendered with care
Deva I (1077 – 1150) of the Ganga Dynasty. Built and precision, especially the preparation of the Compositional elements of the painting - the
denouement of the figures, their style of dress –
on an East-West Axis with pyramidal shrines mahaprasad or ritual food offerings that are slow display a connection with Rajput painting from
leading up to the main sanctum covered by a cooked in earthen pots balanced one atop the Central India of the Eighteenth Century. For
soaring shikhara, the temple is a masterpiece of other. The grand processional worship of the
the Kalinga or Deula style of architecture. images outside the temple complex in the annual other large format scroll paintings depicting
specific landscapes and festivals, albeit of
Rathayatra festival is also represented. An slightly later date, see Pratapaditya Pal, The Arts
especially charming touch is the boat plying the of Nepal, Volume Two: Painting, Leiden, 1978,
waters below guided by the local Nuliya fishermen nos. 164 and 165. Also compare with a paubha
in their peaked caps.
depicting a Vishnu shrine from the Richard and
Magdalena Ernst Collection, see Sotheby’s
New York, March 22, 2018, Lot 901.

$ 200,000-300,000

detail

36 SOTHEBY’S INDIAN, HIMALAYAN & SOUTHEAST ASIAN WORKS OF ART