Live Auction 15504Arts of India
THE DISROBING OF DRAUPADI
Lot 122

THE DISROBING OF DRAUPADI

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

Closed12 June 2018

Price Realised

GBP 3,000

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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.)

Mandi Royal Collection

Specialist note

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.