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Lot Essay
Within the rich tradition of Punjab Hills painting that celebrates the devotional poetry of the Rasikapriya, this work stands out as a singular achievement. The artist has chosen a rare setting, a moonlit night scene rendered in a restrained blue-grey palette, which heightens the sombre, mist-laden atmosphere surrounding the dejected nayika.
The composition depicts a moment of profound emotional tension. The lovers’ golden throne, positioned beneath the radiant full moon, is a setting ideal for union, yet only one figure occupies it. The nayika, realising her beloved will not come, prepares to step down. She is not alone in her sorrow: she is encircled by several attendants, each urgently engaged in comforting and steadying her, as if in fear she might collapse from despair.
One attendant kneels on the ground, catching the nayika’s gaze with an outstretched hand offering a red slipper, perhaps to signal the end of her vigil. Another gently clasps her hand to support her descent from the throne. Their gestures, filled with empathy and attentiveness, embody a collective response to the nayika’s emotional unraveling. The presence of multiple attendants, each in close proximity, each actively engaged, underscores the depth of her emotional crisis. This is a moment requiring “all hands on deck,” as they seek to comfort, steady, and perhaps distract her from the pain of abandonment.
The emptiness of the surrounding landscape echoes her internal desolation. The artist’s usual device of including birds, often in pairs, is notably absent, and the open, misty terrain feels as barren as her now silent household. The full moon, hanging in an almost featureless sky, magnifies her isolation and sorrow. Spring blossoms have begun to appear on the thorny bushes, and the vibrant red poppies in the foreground parterres stand in striking contrast to the overall muted, pastel palette. These poppies, delicately rendered, poignantly symbolize the fragility of the nayika’s emotional state and the theme of “love in separation.”
The golden throne, richly adorned with floral cartouches, dominates the composition yet is half-empty, a visual metaphor for the nayika’s unfulfilled expectations. Unlike a related Basohli painting (Archer 1973, p. 42, no. 28), which is lively with activity anticipating the lover’s arrival, this scene is stark and quiet. The platform is devoid of luxuries or refreshments, perhaps already cleared away by the attendants, a silent acknowledgment that the moment of joyful union will not come.
Finally, the entire scene is framed within a decorative niche, its spandrels intricately adorned with scrolling floral designs, another contrast between ornamental richness and emotional emptiness. This masterful juxtaposition reinforces the central drama: the grandeur of setting and support cannot fill the void left by the absent lover.
In addition to Lot 4 in this sale, three other pages from this Nayika series have now been identified. These include a page sold at Sotheby’s New York on 30 June 1980 (lot 186), another illustrated in Randhawa (1962, p. 113, fig. 65), and a third currently held in the Harvard Art Museum (1971.127).
Although these works have not previously been connected, they collectively represent one of the finest Nayika series produced during the high point of Pahari painting.
The composition depicts a moment of profound emotional tension. The lovers’ golden throne, positioned beneath the radiant full moon, is a setting ideal for union, yet only one figure occupies it. The nayika, realising her beloved will not come, prepares to step down. She is not alone in her sorrow: she is encircled by several attendants, each urgently engaged in comforting and steadying her, as if in fear she might collapse from despair.
One attendant kneels on the ground, catching the nayika’s gaze with an outstretched hand offering a red slipper, perhaps to signal the end of her vigil. Another gently clasps her hand to support her descent from the throne. Their gestures, filled with empathy and attentiveness, embody a collective response to the nayika’s emotional unraveling. The presence of multiple attendants, each in close proximity, each actively engaged, underscores the depth of her emotional crisis. This is a moment requiring “all hands on deck,” as they seek to comfort, steady, and perhaps distract her from the pain of abandonment.
The emptiness of the surrounding landscape echoes her internal desolation. The artist’s usual device of including birds, often in pairs, is notably absent, and the open, misty terrain feels as barren as her now silent household. The full moon, hanging in an almost featureless sky, magnifies her isolation and sorrow. Spring blossoms have begun to appear on the thorny bushes, and the vibrant red poppies in the foreground parterres stand in striking contrast to the overall muted, pastel palette. These poppies, delicately rendered, poignantly symbolize the fragility of the nayika’s emotional state and the theme of “love in separation.”
The golden throne, richly adorned with floral cartouches, dominates the composition yet is half-empty, a visual metaphor for the nayika’s unfulfilled expectations. Unlike a related Basohli painting (Archer 1973, p. 42, no. 28), which is lively with activity anticipating the lover’s arrival, this scene is stark and quiet. The platform is devoid of luxuries or refreshments, perhaps already cleared away by the attendants, a silent acknowledgment that the moment of joyful union will not come.
Finally, the entire scene is framed within a decorative niche, its spandrels intricately adorned with scrolling floral designs, another contrast between ornamental richness and emotional emptiness. This masterful juxtaposition reinforces the central drama: the grandeur of setting and support cannot fill the void left by the absent lover.
In addition to Lot 4 in this sale, three other pages from this Nayika series have now been identified. These include a page sold at Sotheby’s New York on 30 June 1980 (lot 186), another illustrated in Randhawa (1962, p. 113, fig. 65), and a third currently held in the Harvard Art Museum (1971.127).
Although these works have not previously been connected, they collectively represent one of the finest Nayika series produced during the high point of Pahari painting.