The present folio represents a tender scene from the Gita Govinda, or “Song of the Herdsman,” a lyrical poem by the twelfth-century East Indian poet Jayadeva. Filled with erotic imagery and luminous descriptions of the divine love between Krishna and Radha, the Gita Govinda was quickly woven into Vaishnav doctrine throughout North and South India. The lyrical epic became especially popular in North India, where it became a beloved subject in Rajput and Pahari painting workshops. Divided into 12 sargos, or cantos, of mixed length, the narrative is filled with visual metaphors and hyperbole likening earthly seduction and divine union.
For such enduring imagery, the Gita Govinda, was favored among painters and patrons in the Pahari Hills. Three notable Gita Govinda series from the region have resonated with scholars and collectors to this day. The first, circa 1730, is a boldly illustrated 150-folio set by the Guler Master Manaku (c. 1700-1760) in the Basohli style, admired for its evocative colors, rich ornamentation, and expert blending of the Basolhi and Guler schools of painting. The second, the so-called 'Tehri Garhwal' series circa 1775, is an over 140 page series attributed to a Master of the First Generation after Nainsukh and Manaku at Guler or Kangra. Celebrated for its rich and complex delineations of emotion and expert execution, this large set is believed to have influenced the artist of the third notable series, the so-called 'Lambagraon' series. Completed circa 1820, the 'Lambagraon' series from which the present lot belongs, comprises an estimated forty-eight pages attributed to the Kangra court artist Purkhu (active c. 1780-c.1820). The comparably small series is widely praised for its lush depictions of nature and sultry eroticism.
Owing to the patronage of Maharaja Sansar Chand (r. 1775-1823) and the artistic direction of Purkhu, Kangra is remembered as a great center of Pahari miniature painting. A skilled portrait artist, Purkhu is lauded for his distinguished and individualized portraits within his works, often noted for veering towards journalistic goals over idealized or fantastical qualities. His works documenting the public and private life of Sansar Chand are thus unsurprisingly rigorous in their attention to detail, and one can assume, loyalty to accuracy. Notwithstanding, Purkhu’s works on religious themes have proved his capability for innovation and passion, creating large series on the Harivamsa, Shiva Purana, Ramayana, Kedara Kalpa, and of course, the Gita Govinda. His illustrations for the present Gita Govinda series showcase his otherwise unseen gift for conveying the moods of lust, longing, and seduction, so integral to the work. More so, the artist invented an idyllic landscape, a lush moonlight-drenched forest, which so perfectly encapsulates the privacy of each moment. For further biography on Purkhu and discussion of his works, see B.N. Goswamy and E. Fischer, Pahari Masters, New Delhi, 2009 (reprint), pp. 368-387.
The present leaf, numbered 40, accompanies verses from the twelfth and final sargos. Following Krishna’s endless bouts of faithlessness with the gopis, or local milkmaids, Radha finally returns to her beloved. Krishna, willingly repentant and long awaiting her trust, yields to her every will. Their final reunion acts as a metaphor for the individuals absolute oneness with the divine, a lust and longing which reveals an incessant yearning for the Supreme Self, when one has become endowed with the Lord. The accompanying verses describe Radha’s readiness for the return of her lover:
In a sign of passion, as their love-battle began, she went impulsively for victory and somehow came out on top – hips still, arm (previously a clinging vine) slackened, chest pounding, eyes closed – how can women succeed in a show of masculinity?
They were thwarted at every turn: their embraces by the hair bristling between them, the flirting of their eyes by a blink, the sipping of lip-nectar by their own repartee, even the contest of love’s arts by the arrival of bliss. So began their long-due lovemaking which spurred itself on.
Her braid swaying with straightened lotuses, cheek glistening with sweat, the radiant berry of her lower lip bruised, pearl necklace outshone by the luster of full breasts, her girdle glistening— all of a sudden, covering her breasts and her lap with her hand, a frozen lightning bolt, just then this girl with her disheveled garland trembled.
Isolated in the thick of the forest, the twilight dramatically illuminates the couple upon a bed of leaves. Krishna sensitively lifts Radha’s downturned gaze, so their eyes might meet. The artist captures an acute sense of anticipation from both Radha, with a coy smile, and Krishna with a determined lust as he entreats her to make love. Their opulent adornments are heightened with gold leaf, while their garments rustle in the leaves. Two gopis whom Krishna had previously engaged with in romantic trysts, whisper about the young couple from a distance, after working tirelessly to persuade Radha to allow Krishna’s return. In an earlier, daylight scene from the same series, now at the Cleveland Museum of Art (acc. no. 1989.334), Radha's Sakhi coaxes Radha to meet Krishna, as Krishna prepares a bed of leaves for their midnight romance.
As Goswami and Fischer have aptly noted, in the ‘Lambagraon series,’ “nature is celebrated with rare abandon” (see M. Beach, E. Fischer, and B.N. Goswamy, Masters of Indian Painting:1650-1900, Zurich, 2011, p.728 for a discussion on the series). The abundant landscape, with not a straight line in sight, echoes the rhythmic lyricism of the text. The cascading floral splays glisten in the moonlight and perfectly frame the spotlighted figures amid the cloak of the dusk sky. A stream from the Yamuna river, with thin white lining representing its banks, runs through the foreground.
The ‘Lambagraon’ Gita Govinda takes its name from the small princely-state of Lambagraon, the residence of the Katoch family, who formerly ruled Kangra. The series first came to market in 1964, from the hands of Raja Dhrub Chand of Lambagraon (r. 1935-1988), a direct descendant of Sansar Chand’s brother, Raja Fateh Chand (d. 1828). While it is not known precisely when the series was commissioned, it is generally understood that either Sansar or Fateh Chand had been its patron. The present example once belonging the esteemed Ehrenfeld Collection, the forty seven remaining pages have since been dispersed into notable museum and private collections, including the Los Angeles Museum of Art (acc. no. M.71.49.7), the Cleveland Museum of Art (acc. no. 1989.334), The Brooklyn Museum (acc. no. 72.43), Museum Rietberg Zurich (acc. nos. RVI 1852 and B45), the San Diego Museum of Art (Edwin Binney 3rd Collection, acc. no. 1990.1297), The National Museum Delhi (acc. no. 65.304), and the Mittal Museum (acc. no. 76.300). Few folios have come to market since the 20th century. A folio from the 'Tehri Garwhal' series sold at Christie's New York on 17 September 2013, lot 366, for $207,750. Most recently, an illustration from the 'Lambagraon' set sold at Sotheby’s London, 19 October 2016, lot 28.