Important Notice

BUNDI, CIRCA 1670
Inscribed in Nagari at the top
Gouache on paper
Image: 12 x 6.75 in (30.6 x 17.6 cm)

NON-EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY

PROVENANCE
The Motichand Khajanchi Collection

A nayika is in conversation with a confidante, probably expounding on her angst with regard to a lover or nayak, while an attendant looks on. This painting is based on the Rasikapriya, a devotional text composed by Kesava Das, the poet laureate of Raja Inderjit of Orchcha, in the 16th century. It expounds on the different forms of love, ranging from angst to ecstasy, usually yearning for her male lover known as the nayak. The darkening sky at twilight alludes to the approaching night, heightening the mood.

The present lot embodies the finest characteristics of the Bundi school, which developed during the reign of Rao Surjan Singh. Brilliant reds and yellows stand in striking contrast against the rich green foliage and the cool white colours of the built forms. The Bundi style blended Rajput and Mughal elements, as seen in the architecture of domed chhatris, the pavilion and terrace, as well as in the treatment of the garden and the intricate carpet and tiles. Peacocks, symbolic of love, strut along the terrace in the foreground.

BUNDI, CIRCA 1670
Inscribed in Nagari at the top
Gouache on paper
Image: 12 x 6.75 in (30.6 x 17.6 cm)

NON-EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY

PROVENANCE
The Motichand Khajanchi Collection

A nayika is in conversation with a confidante, probably expounding on her angst with regard to a lover or nayak, while an attendant looks on. This painting is based on the Rasikapriya, a devotional text composed by Kesava Das, the poet laureate of Raja Inderjit of Orchcha, in the 16th century. It expounds on the different forms of love, ranging from angst to ecstasy, usually yearning for her male lover known as the nayak. The darkening sky at twilight alludes to the approaching night, heightening the mood.

The present lot embodies the finest characteristics of the Bundi school, which developed during the reign of Rao Surjan Singh. Brilliant reds and yellows stand in striking contrast against the rich green foliage and the cool white colours of the built forms. The Bundi style blended Rajput and Mughal elements, as seen in the architecture of domed chhatris, the pavilion and terrace, as well as in the treatment of the garden and the intricate carpet and tiles. Peacocks, symbolic of love, strut along the terrace in the foreground.