Page 127 - September 20th 2021, Indian and Himalayan Art Christie's NYC

456
A PAINTING OF GANESHA ENTHRONED WITH
RIDDHI AND SIDDHI
INDIA, PAHARI HILLS, MANDI, SCHOOL OF SAJNU,
CIRCA 1810-1820
Folio 15º x 20√ in. (38.7 x 53 cm.)
Image 13√ x 19Ω in. (35.2 x 49.5 cm.)
$20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE:
Royal Mandi collection, by repute.
Private collection, Germany, 1969, by repute.

This large painting depicts a delightfully enthroned
Ganesha flanked by Riddhi and Siddhi, goddesses
personifying the concepts of prosperity and spirituality.
Ganesha sits casually on a divan set in the midst of a
palace courtyard and holds an axe and sword in two
of his hands, while using his other two hands and his
trunk to select treats from one of his consorts. Two rats,
the vahana of Ganesha, crouch expectantly behind the
women, waiting for their turn to indulge in the sweets.
The painting likely accompanied a large format series as
a dedicatory frontispiece. When H. Shastri first published
Sajnu’s similarly sized Hamir Hath series, he noted a
benedictory painting of Ganesha with Riddhi and Siddhi
as the opening image; see lot 457 for a discussion on
the series. Compare the present lot with another Pahari
frontispiece of Ganesha sold at Christie’s New York, 23
July 2020, lot 12 for $37,500.