INDIA, RAJASTHAN, 19TH CENTURY

Kamal ki Picchvai, or lotus picchvai, are hung in Pushtimarg havelis during summer months to create a cool atmosphere in the shrine of Shri Nathji. The backgrounds of lotus flowers help devotees to visualize the banks of the river Yamuna where Krishna grew up. In the present image, Krishna is seated upon a throne, gazing lovingly at Radha, who stands before him with blue skin. With its meandering lotus stems and the numerous bees flying from flowers to leaves, the present painting recalls the works of the ashtachap poets in which Krishna is compared to a bee and his beloved Radha to lotuses.
The present work compares favorably with a well-known, but smaller, lotus picchvai from the collection of Amit Ambalal, see M. Ghose Gates of the Lord: The Tradition of Krishna Painting, Chicago, p. 98, cat. 38. A large 20th century lotus picchvai sold at Christie’s London 26 May 2016, lot 81 for £43,750.