Page 82 - 2020 Sept 22 Himalayin and Indian Works of Art Sotheby's NYC Asia Week

9/2/2020 Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art | Sotheby's

This is a very rare folio, probably from the early ‘Palam’ Bhagavata Purana Book 10 of circa 1520-40 date, relating the struggle over
the possession of a fabulous jewel - the Syamantaka - its loss, rescue and return by Krishna to its owner Shatrajit - and eventually
the gifting of the jewel by Krishna to Akrura.

There appear to be only a small number of folios extant from this manuscript which depict the Syamantaka episode. They are
connected by a color palette somewhat distinct from most leaves of this widely-dispersed album. The present folio is painted in
red terra-cotta hues and light blues not often seen in other folios. The composition is starker and more geometric compared to
other folios. Like some other leaves from the Syamantaka group, this too depicts a golden palace surrounded on three sides by
schematic white basket-weave patterns (representing water) and mythical sea creatures.

For other folios from the same manuscript depicting the Syamantaka narrative see "Akrura and Krishna" in the Victoria and Albert
Museum, London, accession number IS.2-1977. For more information about the series itself see D. Ehnbom, “The Masters of the
Dispersed Bhagavata Purana,” essay in M. C. Beach, E. Fischer, B.N, Goswamy (eds.), Masters of Indian Painting 1100-1650,”
Zurich, 2011, pps. 77-88.

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