Artworks

The current painting belongs to a series of illustrations based on the Sundar Shringar, a poem detailing the moods of love and the classification of literary heroes and heroines or nayaka-nayika bheda. The poem was composed by the poet Sundar Das in 1631. In the present series, the characters of Radha and Krishna are used to present idealized notions of courtship and romance between the hero and heroine, which are celebrated in the poem. An inscription on the first page of the manuscript confirms that the manuscript formed part of the  Mandi Court library during the reign of Raja Vijay or Bijai Sen, the 16th Raja of Mandi, who was born in 1846 and reigned from 1851-1902. 

There is a striking similarity between the present series and the famous Tehri Garhwal Gita Govinda, which is rendered in the same exquisite palette and delicate style. The refinement of the present group suggests that the artist was at least aware of the other series and may have worked in that court atelier during the same period. Losty states ‘the spirit of Nainsukh pervades paintings from the series in their formal perfection and tranquility.’ (Losty, p.292.) He further suggests that the landscape format of the series may pay homage to the earlier Basohli or Nurpur Rasamanjari set which follows the same format.

For other illustrations from the same series see Sotheby’s New York, April 1, 2005, lots 110-113; September 20, 2005, lots 106-109; March 29, 2006, lots 149-152; September 19, 2006, lots 1-5, March 19, 2008, lots 205-208 and September 19, 2008, lots 201-204.