Page 94 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

A DOUBLE SIDED FOLIO FROM THE KOTA-JAIPUR ALBUM

was the first ruler of Kota after the dividing of the
Hara State and separation from Bundi. The Rao
is barefoot and in a posture of obseisance whilst
Krishna stands before him on a chauki playing his
flute. Krishna wears a fine crown with peacock
feathers and his swinging dhoti and garlands are
expertly handled to give a sense of movement.
Such is Krishna’s playing that a young cow and
peacock stare at him in wonderment. Behind him
stand two gopis, one of whom waves a fly-whisk
and the other strains to reach above and shower
him with flowers. Krishna is cast against a solid
red background which was regularly employed in
earlier painting to denote important personages
and divinities. Interestingly, this would have
been considered an archaic device by the latter
th
decades of the 17 century when the painting was
executed. The composition is carefully balanced
with Krishna and the gopis framed by a plantain
and the central tree with the Rao similarly framed
by the same tree and another plantain on the left.
Another almost identical painting to this is in
the British Museum, London (Inv.1985,0714,0.17)
but which shows Krishna with four arms. The
depiction of Krishna and the gopis relates
stylistically very closely to depictions of Vasanta
Raga now in the Fort Museum in Kota.

On the recto we see an illustration of the heroics
of Krishna in Mathura, where he travels to
confront King Kamsa. We see here the three
deeds performed by Krishna. Firstly, Krishna and
Balarama encounter a hunchbacked maidservant
who, following their encounter, can miraculously
straighten her back. Upon entering the city,
Krishna is faced by a huge elephant which is
overcome by pulling out one of the tusks to use
as a weapon. Finally, Kamsa sends his champion
wrestlers Chanura and Mustika to dispose of the
two boys but the wrestlers are quickly dispatched.
(recto)
The illustration vividly depicts each of these
deeds in full and gory detail. Intriguingly the artist
has laid out the painting in reverse order, perhaps
76
for sake of composition, but we see the two dead
THE HEROIC DEEDS OF KRISHNA IN EXHIBITED: wrestlers at the bottom of the page, the raging
MATHURA AND A FLUTING KRISHNA Die Gemäldesammlung des Fürsten von Kota, elephant above them and, just outside Kamsa’s
BEING SALUTED BY RAO MADHO SINGH Zürich, Museum Rietberg,22 November 1997-8 palace is the maidservant. Atop all of this Kamsa
OF KOTA February 1998 is shown peering down from his jharoka and
Der Blaue Gott in indischen Miniaturen,Koblenz,
KOTA, RAJASTHAN, INDIA, THE RECTO,
Mittelrhein Museum,26 July - 5 October 2014 not looking overly thrilled with how events are
CIRCA 1720-1730; THE VERSO, CIRCA 1680
unfolding below. In typical Kota fashion of the
Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, LITERATURE:
th
second and third decades of the 18 century, we
the recto depicting the heroic deeds of Krishna in L.V. Habighorst, Der blaue Gott in indischen
see deep shading around eyelids and jawlines and
Mathura within gold and black rules and a brown Miniaturen, Mittelrhein Museum, Koblenz, 2014,
gently rounded forms.
margin with gold foliate scroll on the left and no. 9
bottom sides; verso with the fluting Krishna within J.P. Losty, Rajput Paintings from the Ludwig
gold, black and white rules and a maroon margin Habighorst Collection, Francesca Galloway, For other folios from the Kota-Jaipur album see
with a gold trefoil scroll London, 2019, no.8. M.C. Beach, “Masters of Early Kota Painting”
Painting recto 12º x 8¡in. (31 x 21.2cm.); painting in M.C.Beach, E. Fischer, and B.N. Goswamy,
verso 11¿ x 8¿in. (28.2 x 20.5cm.); folio 12æ x Most unusual for this series, the verso of our folio Masters of Indian Painting, Zurich, 2011, pp.459-
9¬in. (32.5 x 24.5cm.) is another, in fact earlier, Kota painting rather 78, figs, 14, 15, 17 and 18. Another folio, the recto
than the usual later Jaipur painting. It depicts Rao with Krishna and Radha embracing during a
£60,000-80,000 US$69,000-91,000
€69,000-91,000 Madho Singh of Kota (r.1631-48) saluting Krishna storm and the verso an image of Sri Nathji, is in
in a forest. Madho Singh, son of Rao Ratan Singh, the Harvard Art Museum (Inv.2015.31).
(verso)
92 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty 93
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.