Page 99 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

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79 EXHIBITED: 81
Blumen - Bäume - Göttergärten. Indische Miniaturen aus sechs Jahrhunderten,
THE NAYIKA WHOSE HUSBAND HAS ARRIVED HOME (NAYIKA her attendants have clearly just noticed the squarking crow (J. Seyller Museum für Völkerkunde, Hamburg, 17 March-27 October 2013 KRISHNA RUSHES TO GREET SUDAMA IN DWARKA
AGAMAPATIKA) and J. Mittal, Pahari Paintings in the Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of KANGRA, NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1800-10
ATTRIBUTED TO CHHAJJU AT CHAMBA, NORTH INDIA, 1800-1810 Indian Art, Hyderabad, 2014, no.89.). That painting is of very similar style LITERATURE: An illustration from the Bhagavata Purana, opaque pigments heightened with
L.V. Habighorst, Der blaue Gott in indischen Miniaturen, Mittelrhein Museum,
An illustration to the Rasikapriya of Kesav Das, opaque pigments heightened and placed within the same margins and borders suggesting this to also gold on paper, set within dark blue borders and splashed pink margin, the
Koblenz, 2014, fig. 24
with gold on paper, set within dark blue gold and silver-illuminated borders and be the work of Chajju. reverse inscribed in pen and pencil, flyleaf with 4ll. black devanagari with key
pink flecked margins, the reverse plain, a flyleaf attached J.P. Losty, Indian Paintings from the Ludwig Habighorst Collection, Francesca words in red, reverse plain
Galloway, London, 2018, no. 12
Painting 8q x 6in. (21.5 x 15.2cm.); folio 11q x 8¬in. (29 x 21.8cm.) Painting 6¬ x 9qin. (17 x 24cm.); folio 8w x 11¡in. (22.5 x 29cm.)
Chajju (c.1775-1850) was son of Nikka, himself son of Nainsukh. As such V. Sharma, Painting in the Kangra Valley, Delhi, 2020, pl.142
£20,000-30,000 US$23,000-34,000 we find many features typical of Guler painting, such as the background of £12,000-18,000 US$14,000-21,000
€23,000-34,000 cypresses alternating with other trees. However, Chajju is known to have Like lot 75, this is also an illustration of the khandita nayika, the enraged €14,000-20,000
worked in Chamba where Nikka had moved to find patronage under Raja Raj heroine whose lover has stayed out all night whilst she has stayed home
Sudama, a poor Brahmin, was a childhood friend of Krishna. He fell on hard
Singh. The figures depicted in our painting exhibit the characteristic waving anxiously. In this amusing interpretation the nayaka, here shown by
EXHIBITED:
times and, after initially resisting, gave into his wife's pleas to visit Krishna
V. Sharma, Kangra ki citramkan parampara, Chamba, 2010, p. 65 hemlines and focus on decorative pattern favoured by Chajju (Seyller and Krishna, has been struck by Radha with a lotus stem as punishment for
J.P. Losty, Indian Paintings from the Ludwig Habighorst Collection, Francesca Mittal, op.cit., pp.256-57). his misbehaviour. Radha holds his right hand so he cannot escape and and ask for help. She packed a bundle of rice to be given as a present and
Galloway, London, 2018, no. 18 encouraged Sudama to meet Krishna in his palace at Dwarka. On his arrival,
appears to be winding up for another strike. Meanwhile a slightly rueful
Krishna was so elated to see his old friend that he rushed to embrace him.
Krishna is shown in three quarter stance turning away slightly recoiling
V. Sharma, Painting in the Kangra Valley, Delhi, 2020, pl.130 Krishna was so taken by Sudama's generosity in offering a gift despite how
and rubbing his left cheek.
Here we see the Nayika agamapatika, the heroine whose husband has little he had that he transforms his ramshackle hut into a palatial mansion.
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come. This is variant on the third nayika, vasakasajja nayika (‘She who Standing beneath a delicate weeping willow, the nayika’s elegant dupatta The story of Sudama and Krishna from the Bhagavata Purana proved popular
waits for her lover at her door’), of the eight described in the Rasikapriyaof THE JEALOUS RADHA STRIKES KRISHNA WITH A LOTUS STEM is in stark contrast to the heavy patka worn by Krishna which relates inspiration for Pahari painters and many similar scenes can be found.
Keshav Das. In the original text the heroine hides herself away, but in Pahari KANGRA, NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1810-20 Two scenes from a Garhwal series of 1775-90 are in the Victoria & Albert
closely to a patka in a painting attributed to Harkhu at Chamba (Mittal,
interpretations the crow – seen here perching on the zenana gate – caws to Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, the painting within an Museum (IS.548-1952 and IS.549-1952). A very similar painting from the
1998, fig.6). The poses of the scene are a playful inversion of the episode
tell the nayika her husband is returning. Our heroine here is busy supervising elongated oval, set within blue spandrels decorated by gold arabesques, with of the Danalila of Radha and Krishna in which the latter, acting a stern story, showing Krishna treating Sudama as his guest in the palace, was sold
the arrangements for her returning lover who we can already see in the a thin black border, red margins and white rules, the reverse plain, fly-leaf at Sotheby's Paris, 18 November 2013, lot 124. That painting has a similarly
attached customs official, demands a toll from the gopis. A version of this scene
background being welcomed back to court. A bed is being set up under the depicted Sudama, in tattered grey clothes and thin black moustache whilst
Painting 9æ x 5¬in. (24.8 x 14.2cm.); folio 11¿ x 8¿in. (28.3 x 20.5cm.) from Chamba, also in elongated oval format, was sold Sotheby’s London,
stars, his hookah prepared, a porter bringing in his luggage, and a figure Krishna appears in similar orange jama and golden arm bands. Attributed as
25 October 2017, lot 87, and another from Guler was sold Christie’s New
delivering wine to the zenana. The scene seems to follow-on directly from £10,000-20,000 US$12,000-23,000 Kangra, circa 1800, these two might even have come from the same series.
York, 22 September 2021, lot 459.
another illustration of agamapatika nayika by Chajju in which the nayika and €12,000-23,000
96 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty 97
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.