Lot 72
72
AN ILLUSTRATION TO THE HARIVAMSA: KRISHNA, ARJUNA AND PRADYUMNA CHASE NIKUMBHA
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AN ILLUSTRATION TO THE HARIVAMSA: KRISHNA, ARJUNA AND PRADYUMNA CHASE NIKUMBHA

SCHOOL OF PURKHU, KANGRA, NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1800-1820

Details
AN ILLUSTRATION TO THE HARIVAMSA: KRISHNA, ARJUNA AND PRADYUMNA CHASE NIKUMBHA
SCHOOL OF PURKHU, KANGRA, NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1800-1820
Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, Nikumbha assuming the form of a large white bird carries off Princess Bhanumati, Krishna and Arjuna seated on Garuda and Pradyumna in a chariot shoot arrows at Nikumbha whilst in pursuit, with the names of the figures inscribed in white devanagari script, within black and white rules and wide red borders, with the Mandi royal collection stamp on the fly-leaf, numbered '31' in black devanagari on the fly-leaf and on the reverse

Painting 12 5/8 x 16 ½in. (32.1 x 42cm.); folio 14 5/8 x 18 ½in. (37.2 x 46.4cm.)
Provenance
Acquired from the Royal Library of Mandi in 1969
Sotheby's New York, 19 September 2008, lot 208
Special notice
These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

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Lot Essay

A Kangra artist at the court of Maharaja Sansar Chand, Purkhu was active circa 1780-1820 and the master of a large workshop. Although there are no known works signed by Purkhu, a number of extensive large-sized series, including the Harivamsa, have been associated with him and his family. Goswamy and Fischer mention a list of works attributed to the family workshop of Purkhu (Beach, et al., 2011, pp. 720-721).
Another painting from this Harivamsa series sold in Christie’s, London, 10 June 2015, lot 69. It depicts a scene preceding ours in the story, with Nikumbha as a red-skinned demon carrying off Bhanumati from the palace as Vasudeva and Ugrasena set off in their chariot to ask Krishna for help.
For two other paintings in the sale, attributed to the school of Purkhu, see lots 66 and 67.

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