Page 43 - Bonhams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art March 2019
P. 43
840
COURTESANS ENJOYING FIREWORKS Published
GULER, CIRCA 1760 Vijay Sharma, Kangra ki Citramkan Parampara, Chamba, 2010, p.46.
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
Image: 8 1/2 x 6 1/4 in. (21.5 x 15.8 cm); Provenance.
Folio: 13 1/4 x 10 in. (33.5 x 25.4 cm) Chughtai Collection, Lahore
Private German Collection
$7,000 - 9,000
Under a full moon the two maidens stand on a balcony setting off
fireworks that pour onto the garden bed below. Given the intimate
setting and absence of other figures that would normally be associated
with such celebrations, the scene may represent a budding friendship
or romance. With their fixed gazes on each other’s eyes and the closed
screen on the palace door they prefer not to be disturbed.
INDIAN, HIMALAYAN & SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART | 41
