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Lot Essay
The present illustration from the Bhagavata Purana depicts Krishna, Balarama, Vasudeva and Devaki entering the court formally occupied by King Kamsa. Later in the continuous narrative, Vasudeva and Devaki sit in awe of their sons Krishna and Balarama, who recently freed them from imprisonment and overthrew the demonic king. The parents are realizing their boys are now the lords of the universe. The surrounding palace rooms are filled with the wives of Kamsa and his courtiers who now look to Krishna for comfort.
This work has been variably dated to between 1790, by P. Banerjee, and 1830 by S. Czuma. The work compares favorably with the workshop of Purkhu, whose similarly large-format scenes are marked by the diagonal compositions and complex architectural structures in the present painting. A window between Krishna and Vasudeva reveals an abundant landscape of cascading floral splays, uniquely in the style of Purkhu most associated with his Gita Govinda series. The red and white Devanagari inscriptions hovering over each figure are also commonly found on paintings attributed to Purkhu. However, some features do offer a distinction between this painting and the hand of Purkhu, as the architectural details are far more resplendent, abound with lotus ornamentation, and the artist has demonstrated a greater capability of portraying character’s faces straight on. In light of these distinguishing features, one might attribute this work to either the workshop of Purkhu or a slightly later master.
The present painting closely resembles a painting from a Bhagavata Purana series attributed to Purkhu from the Sven Ghalin collection, sold at Sotheby’s London, 6 October 2015, lot 101.
This work has been variably dated to between 1790, by P. Banerjee, and 1830 by S. Czuma. The work compares favorably with the workshop of Purkhu, whose similarly large-format scenes are marked by the diagonal compositions and complex architectural structures in the present painting. A window between Krishna and Vasudeva reveals an abundant landscape of cascading floral splays, uniquely in the style of Purkhu most associated with his Gita Govinda series. The red and white Devanagari inscriptions hovering over each figure are also commonly found on paintings attributed to Purkhu. However, some features do offer a distinction between this painting and the hand of Purkhu, as the architectural details are far more resplendent, abound with lotus ornamentation, and the artist has demonstrated a greater capability of portraying character’s faces straight on. In light of these distinguishing features, one might attribute this work to either the workshop of Purkhu or a slightly later master.
The present painting closely resembles a painting from a Bhagavata Purana series attributed to Purkhu from the Sven Ghalin collection, sold at Sotheby’s London, 6 October 2015, lot 101.