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Lot Essay
The reverse is inscribed with a couplet from the Rasikapriya of Keshav Das describing the scene. Keshav Das, a Brahmin from Orchha in Bundelkhand, was the court poet of Raja Madhukar Shah of Orchha. He wrote his famous love poem Rasikapriya in 1591 AD. The Rasikapriya seems to have been a favourite with Kangra painters. Several nayaka - nayika paintings from Kangra depicting Krishna and Radha, the ideal lovers, are based on and inscribed with the texts of the Rasikapriya. The style of painting and the colours employed by Kangra artists for these depictions of love and longing manage to convincingly convey the richness and sweetness inherent in the lyrical texts of Keshav Das. (M.S. Randhawa, Kangra Paintings on Love, 1962, pp. 27-28).
There are fourteen comparable paintings from a Rasikapriya series in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum. (see W.G. Archer, Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills, 1973, Vol. I (text), no. 66 (i-xiv), pp.305-307; Vol. II (plates), pp. 228-230)
For other illustrations from this series in the sale, see lots 75, 76, 77, 78.
There are fourteen comparable paintings from a Rasikapriya series in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum. (see W.G. Archer, Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills, 1973, Vol. I (text), no. 66 (i-xiv), pp.305-307; Vol. II (plates), pp. 228-230)
For other illustrations from this series in the sale, see lots 75, 76, 77, 78.