USHA DEVI
Untitled
Signed in Devnagari (lower left)
Circa 1970
Natural pigments on paper
58.75 x 45.5 in (149.2 x 115.5 cm)
PROVENANCE:
Property of a Distinguished Lady, New Delhi
Mithila, is the traditional name for the home of Sita, the wife of Rama, and is a region in the Darbhanga district of modern day Bihar. The region's art forms flourished under the patronage of rulers such as Harisimha Deva, and the various Karnataka dynasties from the 12th - 14th centuries. Women from the Brahmin and Kayastha families traditionally painted on freshly plastered mud walls of homes in the Mithila or Madhubani style, to signify auspicious occasions such as birth, marriage, and religious rituals.
Mithila paintings are instantly recognised by their vibrant imagery. Five discrete styles-Kachni, Bharni, Godna, Kohbar and Tantric-merged to form the technique now synonymous with Mithila or Madhubani paintings. Each family has its own pictorial tradition, passed down from generation to generation. Th is lends the paintings a distinct style and character. Artists draw inspiration from a wide range of sources including social events, royal courts and the cosmos. Mythology, nature and scenes from quotidian life form the main themes of these paintings. The gods of the Hindu pantheon, namely Rama, Krishna, Laxmi, Saraswati, Shiva and Durga, are important religious icons. Every part of the background is intricately decorated with fl ora, fauna and geometric patterns. Figures are simplifi ed and flat, solid colours are used without any shading. Scenes are often set within ornately patterned borders, and crosses and straight lines are used to fi ll negative space, heightening the vibrancy of the paintings.
The present lot depicts an episode from the Ramayana in which Rama, Laxman and Sita were helped across the Ganga river by the boatman Kevat. The river is suggested not by water, but by the fish, turtles and water snakes shown beneath the boat. Usha Devi, representing the first generation of Mithila artists, uses a limited colour pallete, dominated by a dull ochre which is typical of her work. Her blue is also markedly diff erent than that of her contemporaries.
Untitled
Signed in Devnagari (lower left)
Circa 1970
Natural pigments on paper
58.75 x 45.5 in (149.2 x 115.5 cm)
PROVENANCE:
Property of a Distinguished Lady, New Delhi
Mithila, is the traditional name for the home of Sita, the wife of Rama, and is a region in the Darbhanga district of modern day Bihar. The region's art forms flourished under the patronage of rulers such as Harisimha Deva, and the various Karnataka dynasties from the 12th - 14th centuries. Women from the Brahmin and Kayastha families traditionally painted on freshly plastered mud walls of homes in the Mithila or Madhubani style, to signify auspicious occasions such as birth, marriage, and religious rituals.
Mithila paintings are instantly recognised by their vibrant imagery. Five discrete styles-Kachni, Bharni, Godna, Kohbar and Tantric-merged to form the technique now synonymous with Mithila or Madhubani paintings. Each family has its own pictorial tradition, passed down from generation to generation. Th is lends the paintings a distinct style and character. Artists draw inspiration from a wide range of sources including social events, royal courts and the cosmos. Mythology, nature and scenes from quotidian life form the main themes of these paintings. The gods of the Hindu pantheon, namely Rama, Krishna, Laxmi, Saraswati, Shiva and Durga, are important religious icons. Every part of the background is intricately decorated with fl ora, fauna and geometric patterns. Figures are simplifi ed and flat, solid colours are used without any shading. Scenes are often set within ornately patterned borders, and crosses and straight lines are used to fi ll negative space, heightening the vibrancy of the paintings.
The present lot depicts an episode from the Ramayana in which Rama, Laxman and Sita were helped across the Ganga river by the boatman Kevat. The river is suggested not by water, but by the fish, turtles and water snakes shown beneath the boat. Usha Devi, representing the first generation of Mithila artists, uses a limited colour pallete, dominated by a dull ochre which is typical of her work. Her blue is also markedly diff erent than that of her contemporaries.