Important Notice

Malwa School, c. 1690
Opaque watercolour on paper
7.2 x 13.5 in (18.3 x 34.3 cm)

REGISTERED ANTIQUITY-NON-EXPORTABLE

Provenance: Property of a Gentleman, Mumbai


Malwa painting traces its roots to the 17th century miniature painting style of Malwa and Bundelkhand. They are famed for their flat compositions, solid blocks of colour used in backgrounds, and detailed figures in the foreground. The Rasikapriya, a poem that offers an analysis of love, and the Amaru Sataka, are perhaps the best-known examples of this school of painting.

The present lot is a page from an extensively published, well-known Bhagavata Purana series. The Bhagavata Purana is an exhaustive text that includes many narratives on Hinduism, and focuses on devotion to Lord Vishnu and his incarnations, especially Krishna. This horizontal page depicts various scenes from the life of Krishna. Painted in frames, they read like a pictorial account of his numerous exploits. Krishna is seen stealing butter; the gopis complain to Yashodha, his mother, Krishna is reprimanded by Yashodha and tied up as punishment, and so on. Adhering to the principles of this school of painting, the colours used are bright and solid, and the figures are profile views and are flat in perspective. Pages from this series can be found in various prominent museums.

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