Page 103 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

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VIBHASA RAGINI
BEHAG RAGINI BY DALU, KOTA, RAJASTHAN, INDIA, CIRCA 1766
SIROHI, RAJASTHAN, INDIA, CIRCA 1690-1700
An illustration to a Ragamala, opaque pigments
An illustration from a Ragamala, opaque pigments heightened with gold on heightened with gold on paper, set between yellow,
paper, set between white rules with an orange border and gold outer border, black and white rules with a black border with scrolling
with inscriptions in black devanagari, the reverse plain vine, red margins with 4ll. white devanagari above
Painting 8¬ x 5æin. (22 x 14.5cm.); folio 10w x 8in. (27.8 x 20.3cm.) describing the ragini in Sanskrit and the number '36',
reverse plain
£6,000-8,000 US$6,900-9,100 Painting 8º x 5¿in. (21 x 13cm.);
€6,900-9,100
folio 14 x 10ºin. (35.5 x 26cm.)
£6,000-8,000 US$6,900-9,100
PROVENANCE:
Anon sale, Sotheby's, New York, 19 May 1982, lot 20. €6,900-9,100
LITERATURE:
PROVENANCE:
The Patron's Taste - Indian Painting and Decorative Art, Francesca Galloway
Klefisch, Cologne/Marco Polo Paris, 1980
exhibition catalogue, London, 2019, no.14
EXHIBITED:
INSCRIPTIONS:
Blumen - Bäume - Göttergärten - Indische Malerei
'Vihagado saji ragini 24' [Ragini behag]
aus sechs Jahrhunderten, Hamburg, Museum für
Völkerkunde, 17 March - 27 October 2013
The Sirohi school of painting blossomed during the second half of the 17 th
Der Blaue Gott in indischen Miniaturen, Koblenz,
century under the patronage of Akheyraj II (r.1620-73) and his grandson, Mittelrhein Museum,26 July-5 October 2014
Bairisal (r.1676-97). In particular, it seems that Ragamala painting was of
special interest. Most of the Sirohi paintings known today are from Ragamala LITERATURE:
L.V. Habighorst, Blumen - Bäume -Göttergärten in
sets and relate closely to scenes painted on the walls of the Sirohi palace,
indischen Miniaturen, Ragaputra Edition, Koblenz,
likely commissioned by Akheyraj II.
2011, Abb. 93, pp. 124-125
A.L. Dallapiccola and E. Isaaco, Ragamala, Galerie
Usually called Desvarari, Behag (Vihagado saji) refers to a musical mode Marco Polo exhibition catalogue, Paris, 1977, fig. 41
th
which became extinct sometime in the 17 or 18 century. To keep up-to- A.L. Dallapiccola, et al. eds., Krishna the Divine Lover.
th
date, the name was changed in several schools to that of a popular local raga Myth and Legend through Indian Art, Serindia, London,
whilst retaining the iconography (C. Ebeling, Ragamala Painting, Basel, 1973, 1982, fig. 198
p.86). The raised arms of the heroine here are a clue to the scene although The Patron's Taste - Indian Painting and Decorative
83 Art, Francesca Galloway Exhibition Catalogue, London
the mirror is a purely Sirohi addition. For a very similar Bheag Ragini see
2019, no.15
Ebeling, op.cit., C31, p.87.
Two lovers, here represented by Radha and Krishna,
embrace one another in bed, staring intently into
84 each other’s eyes. The nayaka(hero) holds a bow
MALKOS RAGA and arrow to silence a peacock on the roof which is
SIROHI, RAJASTHAN, INDIA, CIRCA 1690-1700 disrupting the precious time with his nayika (heroine).
More usually in the Vibhasa Ragini the peacock is
An illustration from a Ragamala, opaque pigments heightened with gold on
intended to be a crowing cock in the early morning
paper, set between white rules with an orange margin and gold outer border,
with inscription in black devanagari above, the reverse plain (Klaus Ebeling, Ragamala Painting, Basel, 1973, p.132),
Painting 8¬ x 5win. (22 x 15cm.); folio 10w x 8in. (27.8 x 20.5cm.) but the peacock is likely included due to its romantic
associations. The bow and arrow, made up of flowers,
£6,000-8,000 US$6,900-9,100 is iconography related to the Hindu god Kamdeva, the
€6,900-9,100
god of love and desire.
EXHIBITED:
The present lot belongs to a manuscript of which
'Genuss und Rausch - Betel, Tabak, Wein, Hasch und Opium in der indischen
this is one of 250 illustrations created for Maharani
Malerei', Museum Rietberg, Zürich, 12 January-2 May 2010
'Blumen - Bäume - Göttergärten - Indische Malerei aus sechs Jahrhunderten', Ranawatji, the Mewari wife of Maharao Goman
Hamburg, Museum für Völkerkunde, Hamburg, 17 March-27 October 2013 Singh of Kota (r.1764-71). The set was painted at
Nandgaon in Kota State by Dalu, son of Ram Kishen.
LITERATURE:
The majority of the manuscript is in the Saraswati
L.V. Habighorst, L. Reichart, P.A. and V. Sharma, Love for Pleasure: Betel,
Bhandar Museum, Udaipur, and folios 3 and 249
Tobacco, Wine and Drugs in Indian Miniatures, Ragaputra Edition, Koblenz,
are dated 1766 and 1768 respectively. The figures,
2007. Published in German as Genuss und Rausch. Betel, Tabak, Wein und
Rauschdrogen in indischen Miniaturen, Ragaputra Edition, Koblenz, 2007, compositions and polished red borders align closely
fig. 19 with Bundi painting and it is possible that Dalu may
L.V. Habighorst, Blumen - Bäume - Göttergärten in indischen Miniaturen, have been one of several artists to have suffered
Koblenz, 2011, fig. 35 from the decline of painting in Bundi around this
Indian Paintings, Francesca Galloway Exhibition Catalogue, London, 2019, period (M.C. Beach, Rajput Painting at Bundi and
no. 23
Kota, Ascona, 1974, p.39 and fig.42). Another folio
from the series is in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
INSCRIPTIONS:
'malkaus k(i)g... ragini 7(?)' (EA1958.148). A Vibhasa Ragini with almost identical
th
composition but from late 17 century Mewar was sold
in these Rooms, 26 May 2016.
84 For more information on this lot visit christies.com
100 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty 101
fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.