Lot Essay
The tale of Sohni and Mahinval is a folk love story for which few written traces exist. The subject was very popular in 18th century paintings however. Sohni loved Mahinval, a herder of buffalo, who lived on the opposite bank of the river. Every night, she would visit him by crossing the river with the help of a glazed baked jar as a float. Sohni's brothers, strongly disapproving the romance, substituted the glazed jar with and unbaked clay pot. Whilst crossing the river that night, the pot disintegrated and Sohni drowned. The figure of the wise man could be a symbol of dharma (law, duty) which the two lovers violated by their affairs. For a short discussion on this tale and another painting of Sohni and Mahinval, see From the Courts of India: Indian Miniatures in the Collection of the Worcester Art Museum, exhibition catalogue, 1981, pp.34-35.