Topic: Indian Paintings

[Nichi]

Unknown Sultan

This painting is so beautiful. Why oh why didn't I post the source.

[Nichi]

An Illustration from the Bhagavata Purana: The Gopis gather on the banks of the Yamuna in anticipation of Krishna's arrival, while a small group breaks away to convey the news of Krishna's coming to Radha who is seated within a pavilion at left. Celestials shower petals from their abode in the clouds upon the scene below. circa 1690-1700 India, Bikaner.

http://www.sothebys.com/content/dam/stb/lots/N08/N08418/N08418-223-lr-1.jpg

Open attachment for best view.

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[Nichi]

“A Female Hermit is Entertained by a Musician” India; beginning of the 18th century A holy woman – perhaps a Sufi, perhaps a Hindu yogi – is listening attentively to another woman playing the zither. The painting is from the late Mughal period, when night scenes were especially popular.

http://www.davidmus.dk/files/7/1/2563/Yogini.jpg

[Nichi]

Radha and Krishna are pictured in their bedchamber whose adjoining terrace opens out into a lotus pond with distant hills visible in the background. School of Sajnu. Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper. circa 1790-1800, India, Kangra.

Per Sotheby's: Sajnu was an artist who originally hailed from Kangra, but later migrated to the court of Raja Isvari Sen (r. 1788-1826), the ruler of Mandi. Sajnu was a master of the stylistic conventions of the Kangra Valley. His lyrical works are characterised by their exceptionally delicate treatment of facial features, an extensive use of white and a preoccupation with geometric compositional devices, all seen in the present work.

W. G. Archer comments that in some cases Sajnu's jagged angular rhythms violate realism for geometric drama (W. G. Archer, Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills, Vol. 1, 1973, p. 316). This is manifest in the plethora of canted forms cascading through the picture plane and even in the exaggerated crook of Krishna's arm within which Radha rests.


Best view in the attachment!

[Nichi]

By the Light of the Moon and Fireworks, attributed to both Bhavanidas and Nihal Chand, the two leading artists at Kishangarh, 1825-50. "A gathering of the uninformed, wine-drinking, restless ones" inscribed on reverse.

Per Sotheby's: "This remarkable miniature, notable for its painterly refinement as well as its arresting subject matter, has been attributed to both Bhavanidas and Nihal Chand, the two leading artists at Kishangarh in the second quarter of the 18th century.

The subject matter, described by Haidar as "a riotous scene of debauchery on a terrace" and "a tour de force of humorous painting"  (Haidar 2000, p.85), is enigmatically orgiastic and comically intriguing.  Welch notes that "the satire, broad humour and sexual expliciteness .... in this nocturnal gambol... are blended with such masterful sleight of hand that viewers respond not to the painting's "depravity" but to its delicacy of handling" (Welch 1985, p.372).

In the catalogue of the 1985 exhibition India, Art and Culture 1300-1900 Welch discussed its attribution as follows:
"This miniature, with its biting, Goyaesque grotesquerie and savage humour, must have been painted at a time when Sawant Singh had turned against the mundane and yet could be amused by the recollection of evil. His remarkably creative collaboration with his major artist, Nihal Chand, to whom we assign this picture on the basis of inscribed works, produced some of the most perfervidly dreamlike - at times nightmarish - pictures in all of Indian art" (p.372)

Navina Haidar, writing 15 years later, discusses the themes of satire and humour running through this picture, before suggesting an attribution to Bhavanidas:
" The subject matter of this picture makes it unique; no other work depicting such exuberant and explicit intemperance is known from Kishangarh. The highly skilled quality of the painting, particularly the delicate detailing, use of gold, shading and colouring, show this to be the work of a superior artist. This technical finesse along with the imaginative characterization of the figures suggests that the artist was again Bhavanidas, who must have executed it in circa 1740. This painting reveals curious insights into the psychology of the artist and his patron, both of whom must have shared a complex, subtle and sardonically humorous perception of the world" (Haidar 2000, p.87).

One aspect that has not so far been commented upon is the spectacular light show and firework display in the background. Even the boats on the river are lit, perhaps acting as floating firework platforms. This aspect perhaps indicates that the scene on the terrace is taking place during Diwali, although this festival is more usually known for its calm and family-orientated celebrations.

Bhavanidas was a master at the Mughal court who arrived in Kishangarh in 1719 during the reign of Raja Rai Singh (r. 1706-1748). Several works have been attributed to Bhavanidas during his years at the Mughal court and after his arrival in Kishangarh (see Falk 1992; Leach 1995, vol.I, no.4.7, col.pl.74, p.489, Haidar 2000), and he is considered to have been enormously influential in the development of the Kishangarh atelier and style. Falk notes that "his powers of emotional expression, satire and caricature were beyond the reach of other Rajput artists" (Falk 1992) perhaps supporting Haidar's later attribution of the present work to Bhavanidas. A selective list of works painted by Bhavanidas at Kishangarh is given in Falk 1992.

Nihal Chand was the master artist of the mid 18th century who is said to have developed the distinctive elongated figures and features and intense lyrical, sensuous mood that became known as the "Kishangarh Style". He was influenced by his older colleague Bhavanidas and became the leading artist under the patronage of Savant Singh (r.1748-64) both before and after he succeeded his father as Raja in 1748.

For discussions of the Kishangarh School and the artists Bhavanidas and Nihalchand, see Dickinson and Khandalavala 1959; Randhawa and Galbraith 1968, pp.101-109; Randhawa and Randhawa 1980; Falk 1992; Ahluwalia 2008, pp.106-111"

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2011/c-welch-part-ii-l11228/lot.20.html

Best view in attachments.

[Nichi]

(By the way, per the above, which attachment do you like better? The first or second one?)

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moonlit top

[Qarille]

An Illustration from the Bhagavata Purana: The Gopis gather on the banks of the Yamuna in anticipation of Krishna's arrival, while a small group breaks away to convey the news of Krishna's coming to Radha who is seated within a pavilion at left. Celestials shower petals from their abode in the clouds upon the scene below. circa 1690-1700 India, Bikaner.

http://www.sothebys.com/content/dam/stb/lots/N08/N08418/N08418-223-lr-1.jpg

Open attachment for best view.

[Nichi]

Oil painting, Dutch Bengal School, early 20th century. Early Bengal oils were usually left unsigned by the artists who were either European painters working in India or Indian miniature artists working with oil in the European manner.

The gathering of the deities and their vehicles around the brothers Krishna and Balarama to pay their respects to the divine pair as the duo play in the forests of Vrindavana with their companions. Yashoda stands to Krishna's left offering him food; the story reveals that when Lord Krishna opens his mouth one will see the whole universe inside.

The best views are in the attachment and here:
http://www.sothebys.com/content/dam/stb/lots/L09/L09724/L09724-33-lr-1.jpg
 

[Nichi]

Celebrating Holi, Awadh, c.1760-1764.

Per Sotheby's: Welch described: "Holi was once an exclusively Hindu celebration of spring, a saturnalia when high (and low) spirits could be released ecstatically. Perhaps because this was such fun, & because the Mughals, including the emperors, married Rajput girls, the Mughals also celebrated it. If at first it was an abandoned, chaotic, fertility festival, it became increasingly ritualized as patterns of behaviour changed. Here, Holi can be recognized by the red powder & liquid, made from tesu blossoms, which was tossed and jetted by spray guns resembling hypodermic needles. The effect on spotless white clothing must have been the dhobi's nightmare, but it was a delight to the less compulsively tidy."

Further discussion here: http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2011/c-welch-part-ii-l11228/lot.110.html

Best view in the attachment.

[Nichi]

An Illustration from the Harivamsa: The Gods join Krishna and his companions as they play Divine Music on the banks of the Yamuna. Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper. circa 1820. India, Kangra or Guler

Best view is in the attachment - open and enlarge.
Many of the characters have been labeled - in Sanskrit.

[Nichi]

Unknown Sultan

I finally found the identity of this fellow, officially.

Sultan Khwaja Ibrahim Adham in a landscape with four angels and a dog. Creation Date: ca. 1750. Edwin Binney 3rd Collection, The San Diego Museum of Art.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_ibn_Adham

Wiki: Ibrahim ibn Adham (إبراهيم بن أدهم); c. 718 – c. 782 / AH c. 100 – c. 165[1]) is one of the most prominent of the early ascetic Sufi saints.

The story of his conversion is one of the most celebrated in Sufi legend, as that of a prince renouncing his throne and choosing asceticism closely echoing the legend of Gautama Buddha. Sufi tradition ascribes to Ibrahim countless acts of righteousness, and his humble lifestyle, which contrasted sharply with his early life as the king of Balkh (itself an earlier center of Buddhism). As recounted by Abu Nu'aym, Ibrahim emphasized the importance of stillness and meditation for asceticism. Rumi extensively described the legend of Ibrahim in his Masnavi.

Also, from the Philadelphia Museum, in describing one of the many other paintings of him: "Sultan Ibrahim ibn-Adham was a very wealthy Muslim king who ruled in the eighth century. According to tradition, Ibrahim awoke one night to find strangers searching for a camel on his palace roof. When he inquired why they were looking in such an unlikely place, they replied that any king who tried to find God in a palace was equally foolish. Reflecting on this revelation and other mystical experiences, Ibrahim gave up his throne to live in the forest as a dervish, or Muslim ascetic. Here, four angels present Ibrahim with meals in covered dishes. The angels' assistance suggests divine recognition, a testimonial to the virtues of the ascetic lifestyle."

[Nichi]

"Fairies Descend to the Chamber of Prince Manohar", Folio from a Gulshan-i 'Ishq (Rose Garden of Love). Object Name: Folio from an illustrated manuscript. Date: ca. 1700. Geography: India, Deccan. Culture: Islamic. Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper.

Met Museum: The Gulshan-i 'Ishq tells the complicated tale of several pairs of lovers. Starting with King Bikram and his wife, who cannot conceive until Bikram completes a journey of self-discovery, it continues with the adventures of their son, Prince Manohar, who, with another prince, rescues two kidnapped princesses. Here, fairies, drawn by the moonlight reflecting from the white palace in which Prince Manohar sleeps, descend to his bedchamber. They decide to transport him with his bed to his beloved, Princess Madhumalati, for whom he pines.

Best view here (click and enlarge):  http://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/is/original/DP335166.jpg

[Nichi]

A word about Indian paintings.

The presentation here is really quite auspicious and lucky. It's certainly as close as I, for one, am going to get. As I understand it, seeing these paintings in India itself is next to impossible, for a variety of reasons.

For one, they were plundered in their day and the 2 or 3 centuries thereafter, by European collectors. Therefore, they sit now in private collections and museums around the world. India itself is now aware that they lost some of their heritage, and apparently attempts are being made to retrieve them in India. There was a much-touted auction administered by Christie's (one of the big auction-houses) in India last year, and what was sold went for fortunes! (Likewise, auctions in the US and UK sell these paintings for unfathomable amounts.)

For another, private collection in India is a double-edged sword, for the government has claims to confiscate. Then, one art critic wrote, the Indian government does not make the paintings available on an ongoing basis for public viewing. So they always remain in a mystery-status. 

(I will add that the Indian resources on the Internet are the worst for seeing the paintings clearly. They post tiny images, and very few of them - quite frustrating.)