Page 142 - Bonhams Indian and Himalayan Art March 2016 New York

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AN ILLUSTRATION FROM A BHAGAVATA PURANA SERIES:
KRISHNA AND BALARAMA SEEK NEWS OF THE PANDAVAS
Bikaner, circa 1700-1710
Opaque watercolor, silver and, gold on paper; verso with devanagari inscription partially
translated, ‘49 painting [...] sends the flower to Hastinapur [...] gave the flower to Kunti’.
Image: 9 x 12 1/4 in. (22.9 x 31.2 cm);
Folio: 11 5/8 x 14 7/8 in. (29.6 x 37.8 cm)
$40,000 - 60,000

As the celestial bodies rotate behind the horizon, dawn breaks with a brilliant yellow sky
gilding the flora below. A pair of large trees root the two palatial scenes in the foreground,
while the horizon’s faraway city cleverly suggests the true distance between them.
Meanwhile, the artist playfully compartmentalizes the two scenes with a shimmering silver
river that sweeps past their waterfront entrances.

‘Among our people you are the very best. Please go to Hastinapura to know the welfare of
the Pandavas. We have heard that when Pandu died, his family was brought to Hastinapura
by King Dhritarashta, and they have been there since. The King, whose mind is wretched, is
not equally disposed towards the sons of his brother. [His] vision is blinded under the control
of his evil sons. Please go to Hastinapura, ascertain if the treatment of his nephews is proper
or not. After knowing that we shall do what is good for the dear ones.’
(Bhagavata Purana, skandha 10, chapter 48, verses 32-5)

On the left, in the city of Dvaraka, each wearing yellow, orange, and pink sashes that match
each other’s dhotis, Balarama, Krishna, and Uddhava, dispatch the seasoned Akrura
to Hastinapura. On the right, at the top of Hastinapura’s palace Akrura meets with King
Dhritarashtra. Below he meets with the lady Kunti – the Pandava twins and triplets clustered
behind her, their chins placed over each other’s shoulders. For a painting that takes on such
a grand scale, the artist employs color and pose to create a remarkable sense of intimacy
within each scene.

From a series famed for its truly miniature proportions, with his single-haired brush the artist
painstakingly delineates each tiny brick and each tiny fold. The series was executed between
1680-1720 under the patronage of Anup Singh (1669–1698) and Sujan Singh (1700–35).

Other pages from this set can be found in numerous public and private collections including
Welch, Gods, Thrones and Peacocks, no. 29; Pal, Classical Tradition, pl. 25; Ehnbom,
Indian Paintings,1985, no. 68, p. 148; Isaaco, Goswamy, et al., Krishna, the Divine Lover,
London, 1982, no. 62; Daljeet, Fragrance in Colour, New Delhi, 2003, p.38; Topsfield, In
the Realm of Gods and Kings, 2004, no. 60; Goswamy & Smith, Domains of Wonder 2005,
no. 18; Suresh Neotia, Indian Art Treasures, 2006, nos. 97 & 98; Ahluwalia, Rajput Painting,
London, 2008, no. 63; and Cummins, Vishnu, 2011, no. 116. Also see Sotheby’s, London,
7 July 1975, lot 110; Sotheby’s, New York, 22 March 2002, lot 19; 19 March 2008, lot 223;
Christie’s, New York, 20 March 2009, lot 1334, 23 March 2010, lot 205, & 20 March 2012,
lot 257.

Provenance
Private Collection, New York
Acquired from Doris Wiener Gallery, November 1981

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