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Lot Essay
The completion of the twenty-one-page Hamir Hath series from which the present illustration derives is widely recognized as a landmark moment in Mandi painting, as the master artistry of Sajnu and the direction of Raja Isvari Sen (1788-1826) shifted the school from the bold, primitive style of the eighteenth century to the refined and complex styles most associated with the nearby courts of Kangra and Guler.
The series is said to have been inscribed, identifying the works as presented to Raja Isvari Sen (1788-1826) of Mandi by the painter Sajnu, on the sixteenth day of Magha (January-February) samvat 1867 (1810), yet there are no known copies of the inscription, which has only been conveyed by H. Shastri in his 1915 article on the subject in the Journal of Indian Art and Industry. Evidence, however, strongly supports the purported inscription’s claims. The refined and complex painting style of the series could have only been produced by an artist such as Sajnu, with roots in the more established schools of Guler or Kangra. The series also abounds with stylistic components closely associated with Sajnu himself: carpets ornamented with rich arabesque floral sprays, a meandering architectural composition, and up-tilted and diamond shaped roofs and turrets. Most significantly, several inscribed portraits of Raja Isvari Sen, dated to 1808 and attributed to Sajnu in similar fashion, firmly establish his relationship with the Mandi ruler by 1810; see A.G. Archer, Indian Painting from the Punjab Hills, Delhi, 1973, p. 360, cat. 46 for an example from the Bharat Kala Bhavan collection.
The Rajasthani ballad, Hamir Hath (‘Obstinacy of Hamir’), composed by the fourteenth-century bard Sarangdhar, relates the story of Raja Hamir Dev, the heroic but arrogant Chauhan ruler of Ranthambore, who battled with Alauddin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi. Although it was a widely-known tale for centuries, there are no known illustrated series of the subject before the nineteenth century. By no act of coincidence, five series on the tale were produced around the year 1810 alone, all at the courts of Guler and Mandi. Notably, the tale of Hamir is strikingly similar to that of Sansar Chand (r. 1775-1823), the despotic ruler of Kangra and former patron of Sajnu. It involves the siege of an obdurate ruler in a vast fortress surrounded by dizzy precipices, quite like the Kangra fort, with a disastrous end. Isvari Sen himself was held captive by Sansar Chand, and as a likely intentional transgression, he commissioned Sansar Chand’s former prized artist to produce the series as an allegory to the Kangra ruler’s demise.
The present composition showcases the expanses of Hamir's palace, with views into into half a dozen ladies' chambers. In the courtyard, several courtiers have congregated for a meeting between the arrogant Hamir and Molhana, Sultan Ala-uddin's Ambassador, who is identified by inscription. The narrative continues in the bottom left corner of the painting as Molhana leaves the palace on horseback, likely to return Hamir's disdainful words to Ala-uddin.
Twenty paintings from this series have been illustrated by H. Shastri in "'The Hamir-Hath' or the Obstinacy of Hamir, the Chauhan Prince of Ranthambhor," in The Journal of Indian Art and Industry, London, October 1915. Another painting from this series sold at Christie's New York, 22 September 2021, lot 457 for $52,500.
The series is said to have been inscribed, identifying the works as presented to Raja Isvari Sen (1788-1826) of Mandi by the painter Sajnu, on the sixteenth day of Magha (January-February) samvat 1867 (1810), yet there are no known copies of the inscription, which has only been conveyed by H. Shastri in his 1915 article on the subject in the Journal of Indian Art and Industry. Evidence, however, strongly supports the purported inscription’s claims. The refined and complex painting style of the series could have only been produced by an artist such as Sajnu, with roots in the more established schools of Guler or Kangra. The series also abounds with stylistic components closely associated with Sajnu himself: carpets ornamented with rich arabesque floral sprays, a meandering architectural composition, and up-tilted and diamond shaped roofs and turrets. Most significantly, several inscribed portraits of Raja Isvari Sen, dated to 1808 and attributed to Sajnu in similar fashion, firmly establish his relationship with the Mandi ruler by 1810; see A.G. Archer, Indian Painting from the Punjab Hills, Delhi, 1973, p. 360, cat. 46 for an example from the Bharat Kala Bhavan collection.
The Rajasthani ballad, Hamir Hath (‘Obstinacy of Hamir’), composed by the fourteenth-century bard Sarangdhar, relates the story of Raja Hamir Dev, the heroic but arrogant Chauhan ruler of Ranthambore, who battled with Alauddin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi. Although it was a widely-known tale for centuries, there are no known illustrated series of the subject before the nineteenth century. By no act of coincidence, five series on the tale were produced around the year 1810 alone, all at the courts of Guler and Mandi. Notably, the tale of Hamir is strikingly similar to that of Sansar Chand (r. 1775-1823), the despotic ruler of Kangra and former patron of Sajnu. It involves the siege of an obdurate ruler in a vast fortress surrounded by dizzy precipices, quite like the Kangra fort, with a disastrous end. Isvari Sen himself was held captive by Sansar Chand, and as a likely intentional transgression, he commissioned Sansar Chand’s former prized artist to produce the series as an allegory to the Kangra ruler’s demise.
The present composition showcases the expanses of Hamir's palace, with views into into half a dozen ladies' chambers. In the courtyard, several courtiers have congregated for a meeting between the arrogant Hamir and Molhana, Sultan Ala-uddin's Ambassador, who is identified by inscription. The narrative continues in the bottom left corner of the painting as Molhana leaves the palace on horseback, likely to return Hamir's disdainful words to Ala-uddin.
Twenty paintings from this series have been illustrated by H. Shastri in "'The Hamir-Hath' or the Obstinacy of Hamir, the Chauhan Prince of Ranthambhor," in The Journal of Indian Art and Industry, London, October 1915. Another painting from this series sold at Christie's New York, 22 September 2021, lot 457 for $52,500.