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Lot 24 Details
Select Indian Antiquities & Collectibles. 18 Apr-1 May 2013
Ramayana...
Mid 19th Century...
View Dimensions This brightly painted folk paper painting is part of a continuous painted theme, and would have been part of a set used by 'Chitrakathis'. The Chitrakathis were gypsies who wandered from village to village as traditional storytellers. Their audience mainly consisted of children. The stories were episodes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. One person would hold up a page while another would narrate the story to the audience. As the crowds were large and seated at a distance, the figures were painted in a large size so that the viewers could manage to see from far. Colours used were bright so as to attract children. It is important to understand that the artists who painted these folios had talented hands. This is evident from the smooth and fine outlining that is done. The rest of the finishing and colours were selected with the objective of entertaining the audience. The theme of this particular example is Sita being forced to marry Ravana. The blue-skinned, ten-headed figure with twenty arms is king Ravana of Lanka. He is seen holding swords, knives and daggers of all size and shape. He has a terrifying look on his face. Ravana wears gold necklaces and gold bracelets. He wears a red dhoti with a green fabric around his waist. Sita has a terrified look on her face and raises her hands above her head in fear, as Meghanada, the son of Ravana, is all set to attack her from the other side. Sita wears a blue blouse and red sari. She is bejeweled. Meghanada, also blue-skinned, has long flowing hair. He holds a bow in his left hand and a long sword in his raised right hand. The artist has painted the figures with a voluptuous sense of colour. Paintings such as this one would have served the same purpose as cartoons and animation in today's world.
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Lot 19 Details
Lady Awaits Lover
Leaf from a Ragamala Set...
View Dimensions Ragamala literally translates as 'garland of musical notes'. Ragamala paintings synthesize music, poetry and painting. A Raga is a combination of notes. These notes are said to create a mood depending on their combination. Therefore there exist different seasons, occasions and times for singing these ragas. Painters in medieval times made pictorial translations for these notes. These resulted in Ragamala Paintings. This fine Ragamala painting is from the Amer School and represents Gauri Ragini, an evening raga associated with autumn and a contemplative mood. A pretty looking dusky lady, wearing a short tight choli and a long golden skirt, with an odhna covering her head, is seen seated on a carpet with her head bent low, awaiting her lover. She is longingly looking at a bed with a wonderful canopy. The lady has expressive eyes, a sharp nose and small lips. Her jewellery consists of gold and pearl necklaces, earrings, armbands, anklets and bangles. She holds a twig of leaves in her right hand. The house is well decorated; there are niches on the wall, holding long-necked bottles, and the floor has a beautiful green carpet with a red border. A bed is placed with two pillows on it. The doorway is adorned with a lovely embroidered curtain that has been rolled and tied. The terrace wall is delicately painted. Thickly foliated trees can be seen beyond the boundary wall. The four-post bed with a purple and gold canopy in the courtyard has a pillow kept in one corner. A focal point of this painting is the copious use of gold paint on the skirt of the lady, the thick bolster against which she rests, the border of the curtain within the house as well as on the curtain hanging on the doorway to the entrance to the house. A thick border around the canopy is also gold painted. There is a lovely red with green border sun-shade above the entrance to the house. There are various pictorial representations of Gauri Ragini. This unusual one shows the lover in waiting dressing her hair with flowers from a mango tree. One can see a branch of the tree in her hand with leaves and fruits. The bed next to her has been decorated with petals. She awaits the arrival of her lover. The four line script on the top describes the subject. It is very rare to find paintings of this quality and period in such mint condition.
Lot 22 Details
Kunwar Sardar...
Mid 19th CenturyJaipur...
View Dimensions This is a delicately executed portrait of a young Maharaja - Kunwar Sardarsinghji. The superbly finished miniature painting shows the young Maharaja, immaculately dressed in a long red and gold full-sleeved jama, standing on a low terrace balcony of his palace, holding a rose in his right hand. A nimbus behind his head signifies his royal status. Kunwar Sardar Singhji Bahadur is shown with a tender and expressive face. He is quite obviously very young. He has a lovely complexion and wears a spectacular and fashionable headgear. It is red in colour with gold braiding and precious stones. The artist has actually used a drop of paint so well that it looks as though the precious stone is set on the painting itself. The facial modeling is superb and a tuft of fine hair creeps in from behind his ear. A fine long vermillion mark adorns his forehead. Although young, his expression is firm. He also wears pearl necklaces and gold bracelets. His footwear is an embroidered 'mojri'. The flower in his hand is very delicately painted with each of the petals visible. The terrace has a low balustrade with fine foliated work on it, in gold. Behind this, one can see a lush flower bed with various flowers in bloom. The background is a pale jade colour and the deep blue sky shows thick rolling clouds. The detailing in this painting is magnificent with perfect use of colours and copious use of gold. The inscription says that the painting was done in Jaipur. Going by the name and the period it should be the portrait of Maharaja Sardar Singh of Bikaner who was born in 1818 and died in 1872 A.D.
Lot 21 Details
Bhakti Ratnavali ...
Folio 811 of Siddhanta Bodh...
View Dimensions This is a beautifully executed painting of the Mewar School, which flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries in the principality of Mewar in Rajasthan. The painting dwells on imparting of religious knowledge on the existence and greatness of Lord Brahma by a teacher, to his students. He says, "Brahma is supreme that is why he is the Guru. Brahma is ultimate - He who understands this truth is wise and who does not is ignorant. Shastras also say the same and the Vedas also say he is the Ultimate." In the forefront the teacher is seen twice, with his four students. This repetition shows continuity of teaching. They are all bare-bodied, with neatly worn colourful dhotis and angavastras (stoles worn on the upper half of the body). Their hair is tied in buns and decorated with flowers. All of them wear gold necklaces with pearls. Their foreheads are smeared with sandal paste. There is an air of reverence for the master as the students listen intently. In the upper half one can see a seated saint. His head is covered with a customary cap. He holds scriptures on the life of Shri Rama in his hand. A male, dressed similarly to the saint but without a cap, and a winged female entity sit before him. Two deities are shown within two glowing, golden nimbuses. The characters are all seen against a lavender grey background, giving prominence to all. The fine condition, delicate outlining and lovely usage of gold make this a striking work. Paintings from Mewar are known for their use of bright colours.
Lot 20 Details
Ro Patra 157c. 1760...
View Dimensions This brilliant yet serene painting shows Yudhisthira, the eldest son of king Pandu of the Pandava clan, seated before Vidhura, a scholar and advisor, who holds prayer beads. They are to the left top, shown seated on a white prayer-rug, imparting words of wisdom on meditation. Vidhura tells Yudhisthira: "He who sits alone and worships the Lord only knows what is a good deed and what is Dharma." Below them a figure is shown seated on a rug with prayer beads in his hand. He is deeply engrossed in meditation. Blue-hued Lord Vishnu is seated on a white rug, wearing a yellow dhoti. He is crowned and he holds his attributes - the 'shankha', ' chakra', ' gada' and ' padma' - in his four hands. An entity seated on a white rug as well as Yudhishthira who appears again at the lower right corner, are seen giving alms to young boys. Except Yudhishthira, who is in fine clothing, wearing headgear, all the other figures are bare-bodied, wearing dhotis with their hair tied up behind their head. The artist has provided a rich green background to this painting, with flowers strewn around. Paintings from this Mewar series are vibrant and striking. The horizontal format, the widely spaced figures, plain background, fine outlining and mint condition make this a fine work. Other examples from this famous series are in the collection of the National Museum, New Delhi, as well as the Sarabhai Collection.
Lot 23 Details
Couple in...
Mid 19th CenturyCompany ...
View Dimensions The arrival of the British in India brought in new thoughts and ideas in the world of painting. Local artists got exposure to several methods which were till then unknown in the Indian peninsula. This beautifully painted miniature from the Company School portrays a well dressed couple standing opposite one another on a green lawn, fringed with tall and slender coconut trees and a line of shrubs. They are a newly married couple, expressing their love for each other. The groom wears a long, full-sleeved white dress of a fine fabric, flared at the bottom and pleated. He also wears a black, embroidered half-sleeved coat over it and has an orange coloured angavastra with a gold border, tied around his waist to hold a dagger, with part of it going over his left shoulder. The groom has a rounded face with a bushy moustache and a kind look. His forehead is smeared with ash and he wears a typical Maratha headgear. The bride is more richly dressed and heavily bejeweled. She wears a gold brocade blouse and a beautifully designed, multi-pleated orange coloured skirt. She wears multiple gold necklaces, ornate and large earrings, thick gold bangles, hair ornamentation and silver anklets. The sky has been painted in a manner that is typical of the era. It is a combination of sky-blue and ash-gray. One can also see that the western tradition of showing the shadows has crept into this painting. The entire painting is vibrant, and the fusion of Indian and British elements also makes it a culturally interesting work.
Lot 18 Details
Princess & Companion
Early 18th Century...
View Dimensions This well finished Mughal painting is that of a princess and her companion. The two figures are seen standing at an open palace window. The beautiful princess is seen holding a small glass of wine, which she seems to be passing on to her companion, who stands next to her. The princess has one hand around her companion's shoulder, indicating a closeness between the two women. The princess wears a short, tight long-sleeved blouse and a fawn coloured embroidered skirt with a fine veil over her head. Her simple jewellery consists of a pearl necklace, earrings and bangles. She has beautiful but thoughtful eyes, thick eyebrows, long lustrous hair and a flawless complexion. Her companion wears a long-sleeved jama with fine embroidered flowers that can be seen through the veil she covers herself with. She also wears pearl jewellery with a prominent nose ring and a 'tikli' or head decoration. Their hands are henna-dyed. The quality of the work and finish are remarkable. The hand painted work looks like a photograph. It is quite obviously the hand of a well trained artist of the great Mughal court.
Lot 2 Details
Equus: Paintings and Sculptures. 4-18 July 2024
Horse
Acrylic and dry pastel on canvas
72 x 96 in
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