Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, Krishna seated against a floral lattice cushion, a sakhi (Radha's confidante) seated in front, within yellow bordered medallion and frame, with simplified floral and scrolling patterned spandrels, in black rules, with pink speckled borders, a line of black devanagari script above 'viraha ... udaharan' (an example of an expression of separation(?)), folio number '308' in upper left corner, the reverse with 9ll. of verse in red and black devanagari script, with detached protective stamped and numbered flyleaf

Painting 9³⁄₄ x 6³⁄₈in. (24.8 x 16.2cm.); folio 13 x 9¹⁄₈in. (33 x 23.2cm.)

Mandi Royal Collection

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Lot Essay

The reverse is inscribed with a couplet from the Rasikapriya of Keshav Das. A brahmin from Bundelkhand, Keshav Das 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 patrons. 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, New Delhi, 1962, pp.27-28).

There are fourteen comparable paintings from a Rasikapriya series in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum. (W.G. Archer, Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills, London, 1973, Vol. I (text), no.66 (i-xiv), pp.305-307; Vol. II (plates), pp.228-230). Other illustrations from this series have sold recently in these Rooms, 2 May 2019, lots 92, 94; 25 May 2017, lots 74-78. For other illustrations from the series in the present sale, see lots 28, 30, 67, 68 and 69.