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拍品專文
Complete illustrated east Indian manuscripts on palm leaf very rarely come to the market. A number of loose illustrated leaves, attributed to the 18th century, sold at Christie's New York on the 21 March 2008, lot 729, 19 March 2013, lot 291 and lot 292. The Odisha State Museum in Bhubanesvar has a very large collection of these manuscripts (https://odishamuseum.nic.in/?q=27-manuscript-catalogues). Jagannath Prasad Das in Illustrated Palm-Leaf Manuscripts from Orissa notes that 'a large number of palm-leaf manuscripts can be found in Orissa [..] the number of pothis [manuscripts] with illustrations is not very considerable. [..] Only certain types of manuscripts were illustrated [mostly kavyas or works of Sanskrit literature]. Unfortunately, it is rare to come across a complete chitra-pothi in good condition' (op.cit., New Delhi, 1985). Illustrated manuscripts were highly prized and could often be part of a dowry (Durga Prasad Patnaik, Palm Leaf Etchings of Orissa, 1989, p.16).
This manuscript is arranged in four sections. It includes 1. mythological scenes; 2. scenes from the life of Krishna; 3. erotic scenes (possibly the Kama Sutra) and 4. an expedition to Bengal with depictions of various hunts and floral and fauna. This last part might include parts of the history of a dynasty, very probably that of King Hare Chandra Deo. The name appears in the colophon although the identity of this ruler is yet to be discovered as Orissa in the 17th century was fragmented into various small states. However an important ruler of Orissa, Mukunda Harchandana bears a name that relates to that our king. Mukunda Harchandana lived in the 17th century and fought against the Bengalis. He is referred to as 'the last Hindu ruler of Orissa (Mohammed Yamin, The Impact of Islam on Orissan Culture, 2011, p.117) A. Stirling, in his 1822 Account, geographical, statistical and historical of Orissa proper, or Cuttack describes him as an 'independent Raja [..] a man of courage and abilities'. However, several rajas bore the same name and another Mukunda Deva (another form of Deo) reigned between 1657 and 1689. Hare (or Hari) is also a synonym for Krishna and our king could be Krishna Chandra Deva who founded a temple of Jagannath during the 16th century. Such temple is illustrated on one of the folios in this manuscript.
This manuscript is arranged in four sections. It includes 1. mythological scenes; 2. scenes from the life of Krishna; 3. erotic scenes (possibly the Kama Sutra) and 4. an expedition to Bengal with depictions of various hunts and floral and fauna. This last part might include parts of the history of a dynasty, very probably that of King Hare Chandra Deo. The name appears in the colophon although the identity of this ruler is yet to be discovered as Orissa in the 17th century was fragmented into various small states. However an important ruler of Orissa, Mukunda Harchandana bears a name that relates to that our king. Mukunda Harchandana lived in the 17th century and fought against the Bengalis. He is referred to as 'the last Hindu ruler of Orissa (Mohammed Yamin, The Impact of Islam on Orissan Culture, 2011, p.117) A. Stirling, in his 1822 Account, geographical, statistical and historical of Orissa proper, or Cuttack describes him as an 'independent Raja [..] a man of courage and abilities'. However, several rajas bore the same name and another Mukunda Deva (another form of Deo) reigned between 1657 and 1689. Hare (or Hari) is also a synonym for Krishna and our king could be Krishna Chandra Deva who founded a temple of Jagannath during the 16th century. Such temple is illustrated on one of the folios in this manuscript.