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Lot Essay
Along with his Vaishnava scenes depicting Krishna and Balaram among other subjects, Jamini Roy also drew inspiration from the figure of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Believed to be an avatar of Krishna and his consort Radha, Chaitanya’s association with West Bengal can be traced back to the 1400s, and he is considered an integral part of Vaishnav religiosity and beliefs there. Possibly his most important teaching was the importance of kirtan and harinam, or prayer and chanting in worship together.
In the present lot, Roy depicts a group of five male figures, with Vaishnava tilaks adorning their foreheads and colorful scarfs around their shoulders, completely occupying the painted surface. The central figure, holding a pair of manjira or hand cymbals, could possibly represent Chaitanya, the golden avatar of Radha and Krishna combined, and the others are likely his associates including Nityananda, who are traditionally portrayed alongside him during kirtan or joyful worship.
Works like the present lot, which are based on Vaishnava beliefs, are “a syncretic amalgam of various artistic traditions. The figures derive from the Bengal patas; the strong outline, occasionally doubled, goes back to Roy’s Kalighat period […] and carefully enclosed areas of color as well as dots and dashes of detail closely resemble patas from the adjoining state of Orissa” (M. Sirhandi, Jamini Roy, Bengali Artist of Modern India, Gainsville, 1997, p. 7).
In the present lot, Roy depicts a group of five male figures, with Vaishnava tilaks adorning their foreheads and colorful scarfs around their shoulders, completely occupying the painted surface. The central figure, holding a pair of manjira or hand cymbals, could possibly represent Chaitanya, the golden avatar of Radha and Krishna combined, and the others are likely his associates including Nityananda, who are traditionally portrayed alongside him during kirtan or joyful worship.
Works like the present lot, which are based on Vaishnava beliefs, are “a syncretic amalgam of various artistic traditions. The figures derive from the Bengal patas; the strong outline, occasionally doubled, goes back to Roy’s Kalighat period […] and carefully enclosed areas of color as well as dots and dashes of detail closely resemble patas from the adjoining state of Orissa” (M. Sirhandi, Jamini Roy, Bengali Artist of Modern India, Gainsville, 1997, p. 7).