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Lot Essay
This painting is part of a ragamala series that was once attributed to the Pahari court of Bilaspur. After a recent study of illustrations from the Moscatelli collection, Catherine Glynn re-attributed them to the court of Chamba. (C. Glynn, Anna Dallapiccola and Robert Skelton, Ragamala: Paintings from India from the Claudio Moscatelli Collection, London, 2011, pg. 34).
The Hindi word for lotus is ‘Kamala’. In this delightful rendition of Kamala Ragaputra, the artist has included lotus symbolism everywhere possible. Sitting on a large lotus by a lotus-filled pond, the hero holds two large lotus flowers in each hand and even has lotus buds peeking out of his turban, providing much attraction for the white and yellow bees swarming close to his turban.
For other comparable Pahari depictions of Kamala Ragaputra, see Waldschmidt 1967, fig. 65 (Bilaspur, circa 1750); Ebeling 1973, fig. 305, pg. 274 (Mankot, circa 1700); Waldschmidt 1975, fig. 147, pg. 496; Sotheby’s London, 29 April 1992, lot 8 (Basohli, circa 1680).
There are four folios from this series in the Kronos Collections (T. McInerney, et al., Divine Pleasures: Painting from India’s Rajput Courts – The Kronos Collections, (exhibition catalogue), New York, 2016, nos. 45 – 48, pp. 142 – 149.)
For other folios which have sold at auction recently, see Christie’s London, 25 April 2013, lot 184; Christie’s South Kensington, 10 June 2013, lots 2-7; Christie’s New York, 18 September 2013, lot 357A.
For another folio from this series in the sale, see lot 21.
The Hindi word for lotus is ‘Kamala’. In this delightful rendition of Kamala Ragaputra, the artist has included lotus symbolism everywhere possible. Sitting on a large lotus by a lotus-filled pond, the hero holds two large lotus flowers in each hand and even has lotus buds peeking out of his turban, providing much attraction for the white and yellow bees swarming close to his turban.
For other comparable Pahari depictions of Kamala Ragaputra, see Waldschmidt 1967, fig. 65 (Bilaspur, circa 1750); Ebeling 1973, fig. 305, pg. 274 (Mankot, circa 1700); Waldschmidt 1975, fig. 147, pg. 496; Sotheby’s London, 29 April 1992, lot 8 (Basohli, circa 1680).
There are four folios from this series in the Kronos Collections (T. McInerney, et al., Divine Pleasures: Painting from India’s Rajput Courts – The Kronos Collections, (exhibition catalogue), New York, 2016, nos. 45 – 48, pp. 142 – 149.)
For other folios which have sold at auction recently, see Christie’s London, 25 April 2013, lot 184; Christie’s South Kensington, 10 June 2013, lots 2-7; Christie’s New York, 18 September 2013, lot 357A.
For another folio from this series in the sale, see lot 21.