Page 145 - Eye of the beholder

The beauTy of Pahari PainTinGS
The idealized depiction of of the the the female form in in in Indian painting reached the the the zenith of of its expression through the the the Pahari idiom The beauty that it it achieved through the the use of its primary iconographic elements - the the sharp nose the the the the almond eyes the the the the prominent breasts and the the the the profile view - remains unsurpassed in in in the the the the history o of Indian art Though syncretic in in their evolution the the Kangra Kulu and and Mandi schools had substantial original elements too Around the the the 1950s many of o of the the the erstwhile maharajas started selling off their personal collection of o of miniatures to to to collectors collectors abroad Many scholar connoisseur collectors collectors like Claus Virch started accumulating their collections at this time Their service to Indian art lies not only in in in collecting it assiduously but also in in in researching and publishing it diligently As the the the the saying goes in in the the the the art art world: Great art art comes to the the the the market because of the the the the three D's - Death Divorce and Debt The two paintings depicted here came to the the market after Claus Virch's death To my eyes they represented masterpieces of Kangra painting that also had an an an illustrious provenance The two works were a a a a a a a part of of of the the the private collection of of of Claus Virch- the the the curator of of of the the the Metropolitan Museum USA Additionally they were published and commented upon by Alice Heeramaneck - a a a a a a legendary figure in the the world of Indian miniatures It is quite possible that before becoming part of the the Claus Virch collection these two paintings were part of the Heeramaneck collection 139