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Lot 13

 

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Opaque watercolour heightened with gold on paper

Amber, first half of 18th century

Image: 11 x 6 in (27.5 x 15 cm)
Folio: 13 x 8 in (32.5 x 20 cm)




This miniature represents Krishna and a consort seated in discussion in a pavilion, while maidens are illustrated in the chambers above.

The inscription in the upper part of the painting reads:

Savaiya [the name of the metre]
'The cowmaids of yesterday manage the excitement that emerged in all your hearts today. Unnecessarily, she wastes her time in thinking useless thoughts, brooding, and chanting the name of the beloved. Know that in your absence, Kanha [Krishna] whom you consider to be naughty awaits your glimpse just as you await his.'

This miniature is thought to be part of the Rasikapriya composed by Keshava Das (fl. 1580-1601) in 1591. It consists of a series of poems describing and cataloguing types of male and female lovers: nayakas and nayikas, i.e. heroes and heroines. Sets of paintings illustrating verses from this text are found from many centers of art and a number from this particular group are known.

A possible sequential interpretation of this illustration is that Radha, the nayika, first discusses her absent lover with her confidant and then lies on the couch in despair and longing. At the bottom she is reunited with her lover, the crowned Krishna. Radha seems to appear three times suggesting a continuous narrative. The architecture is sumptuous and the decoration of the room elegant. The large floral forms in the foreground at the right add a bold decorative touch.

For comparison see K.Ebeling, Ragamala Painting, Basel, 1973, nos. 213-217.

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