Page 138 - Bonhams Indian and Himalayan Art March 2016 New York

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FOLIO 21 FROM A RAGAMALA SERIES: VASANTA RAGINI
95 Jaipur, circa 1820-40
136 | BONHAMS Opaque watercolor and gold on paper;
four lines of devanagari in the yellow textfield.
Image: 7 1/8 x 5 in. (18.1 x 12.7 cm);
Folio: 11 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (28.6 x 19.7 cm)
$1,000 - 1,500

Vasanta (Spring) is the season of love. In Rajasthani paintings, the
Vasanta melody is visualized by Krishna dancing under the trees of
the Vrinda forest. Gopis surround him, playing music, and join in.
However, the Jaipur artists of the early 19th century, who enjoyed the
‘last flowering of ragamala paintings’, developed another iconography,
shown here. Instead, Krishna and his favorite wife stand in the center
of a palace courtyard amid the celebration of Holi.

Now, Krishna is dressed like a maharaja, his yellow dhoti and peacock
crown exchanged for a golden patka and turban. And whereas he
would typically hold a mango sprig, as a sign of the arrival of spring,
here instead, a woman of the harem displays it on a gold tray.

Provenance
Private European Collection since early 1990s

95
FOLIO 30 FROM A BHAGAVATA PURANA SERIES:
KRISHA KILLS BAKA
Orissa, circa 1775
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
Image: 5 1/4 x 13 1/2 in. (13.3 x 34.3 cm);
Folio: 9 3/4 x 14 1/2 in. (24.8 x 36.9 cm)
$2,000 - 4,000

This painting illustrates Book 10, chapter 11, verses 46-53: the
Bakasura. One day, Krisha and the cowherds were leading their calves
to bathe in the Yamuna river when the demon Baka, disguised as a
huge crane attacked them. A testament to his otherworldly strength,
Krishna, ‘effortlessly tore him apart by his two beaks, like a blade of
virana grass, to the joy of the residents of the celestial worlds’.

The artist visualizes the text word for word. Krishna and Baka
dominate the center. Cowherds and gods look on, the colorful figures
set against a light blue background. Below, the dark brown Yamuna
flows. Fishes with golden heads swim, and red flowers sprout like
flames on golden stems. Above, stretches a blue sky adorned with
yellow, red, and green clouds. It is a colorful, joyful picture, typical of
the Eastern style.

Provenance
Private European Collection, acquired between 1968-72