PROBABLY MANDI OR KANGRA, PUNJAB HILLS, SECOND QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

This charming set of four illustrations belong to an unidentified series, although probably illustrating a Harivamsa or early in the Bhagavata Purana. Each painting has a near identical composition with slight differences only to the cast and arrangement of characters. On the right is a pavilion lined with a striking red lattice carpet and a figure who sits enthroned below a golden umbrella canopy and relates to Mandi painting from the first half of the 19th century. See, for example, a painting in the style of Sanju of Shiva and Parvati being worshipped which was sold in these Rooms, 25 May 2017 or an illustration to a Hamir Hath sold Sotheby's New York, 21 March 2024, lot 830.

Particularly striking in our series is the red wall which cuts through the landscape in two strong diagonals. A similar device can be found in an illustration from a Kangra Mahabharata series sold Christie's New York, 21 September 2022, lot 434.