MANDI, PUNJAB HILLS, NORTH INDIA, LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY

Details

THE DISROBING OF DRAUPADI
MANDI, PUNJAB HILLS, NORTH INDIA, LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY
Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, the blind king Dhritarashtra depicted sitting in the middle with the gambling Kauravas to his right and the Pandavas seated to his left, Duhshasana attempts to disrobe Draupadi as Krishna watches from the upper left corner, in black and white rules, with red borders, the front fly-leaf with Mandi royal collection stamps, the reverse with a line of devanagari script, old inventory inscriptions in black ink and pencil
9 x 11 ½in. (22.8 x 29.2cm.)

Provenance

Mandi Royal Collection

Engraved

In Devanagari script (on the reverse): draupadi si marat naam hari / arjun bhim mahavali jodha unso kachhu nasaree... 'Draupadi keeps repeating the name of Hari / Arjun Bhim, the great warriors, could do nothing...'

Lot Essay

In this episode from the Mahabharata, the blind king Dhritarashtra is seated in the middle with his sons, the Kauravas, before him. Four Pandava brothers are seated to his left. The eldest Pandava, Yudhisthira, stands before Duryodhana with folded hands. In a disastrous dice game, the Pandavas have gambled away their wealth, freedom and even their wife Draupadi, to the Kauravas and will soon be exiled from the kingdom. Duhshasana, one of the Kaurava princes, drags Draupadi through the audience hall and begins disrobing her. Draupadi calls upon Krishna to save her honour. As Duhshasana strips a piece of clothing off Draupadi, Krishna replaces it with another and soon the heap of coloured fabric collecting at her feet begins to grow.

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