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    Videhatmananda Swami
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    Indian Miniatures Painting (Medival Period)

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    Indian Miniatures Painting (Medival Period)

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    139 просмотров55 страниц

    Indian Miniatures: An Album by V S Agrawala

    Загружено:

    Videhatmananda Swami
    Indian Miniatures Painting (Medival Period)

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    INDIAN MINIATURES AN ALBUM DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA NEW DELHI 1961 PRICE Rs, 10 of IGsh. © DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA INTRODUCTION AND DESCRIPTION OF PLATES BY V. 8 AGRAWALA TENT PRINTED AT THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA TRESS CALCUTTA PREFACE In 1947-48, under the auspices of the Royal Academy of Arts, an Exhibi- tion of Indian Art was held in Burlington House, London When the objects constituting the Extubition returned to India, they provided ready material for another Exhibition, held in the Government House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan), New Delhi, in 1948-49. This Extubition, in turn, formed the nucleus of the National Museum of India, which came into being on the 15th August, 1050. At the time of the New Delht Exhibition, the Department of Archacology, Government of India, which had been responsible for its organization, decided that reproduction of some of the displayed miniatures, representing the differ ent Schools of medieval painting, shoull be prepared and made available to the public. Twenty such reproductions are published in this Album, of them, one ench pertains to the Western Indian and Deccani Schools, five each to the Rajasthani and Mughul and ej¢ht to the Himachala The reproduced paintings belong to different organizations and imdimduak, mentioned on the next page. The Department of Archacology is grateful to them for their permussion to utilize their possessions in this Album. The Department 15 also grateful to Professor V $. Agrawala of the Varanasi Hindu University for his valuible intreductto 1 to the Album and deseriptien of the plates. \ Gio-t Ducelor tieneral of Archaeology in India COPYRIGHT Plates {, IV, %, Xtland XV, The National Museum of India, Neto Delhi. Plates 1, UE and VII: Shri N.C. Mechta, Bombay, Plates V1, Vil and XIX : The Bharat Kala Bhavan, Vartuasi. Plates 1X and XVII: The Pronce of Wales Museum, Bombay, Plates X and XL Shri Kastusbhay Ealbhai, Ahmadabad, . Plates XLUE aud XV: Shri Kat d. Khandabeacate, Bombay. Plates XV and NVHIU: The Raza Library, Rampur. Plate XX : Is Highness the Maharaja of Bikaner. (The qetrnting ig now on the National Museum of India, New Della.) CONTENTS Esrropecrioy Plates E. Scones from the life of 2 irthankara TL Meeting of the poot with bls Lelored at night HIE Chanipasatt and her mavd ins garden IV Saradga-Ragint V The Spring Season (Facanta-yutu) YI Kyshos irfting Mount Govardhan VIP Lady m garden mith her pet deer ATED Kpabga aneited ta the house of a qopt IX, \ipratablhaentgika a frustrated herrine X. Uthanghtanivika an expectant heroine XI Lovera reating at night in tha countryside NID fatra dronmng the Gokula NUD Dimatiti Kyshoa raning tolltax from the gapie XIV Lady quokiug bul ond looking nto a mirror AV bbepherd a painting from the Divtuerifafts XVI A Mazhul uobleman with drinkingeup and book under the tree XVIT JabSasie’s yint to thy mausoleum of Khways Muau’d Din Chishul NVI. Jaluingtr in thankegis ing ceremony SIN. A lady XX THindola-Riga lovers on a ving INDIAN MINIATURES INTRODUCTION NDIAN painting presents s unique record of artistic activity from about the second century B.¢c. down to our own times. The material is extensive, covering almost the whole of the country from Sittannavasal in south India to the hilly regions in the Panjab. Outside India, Sigiriya in Ceylon and Banu- yan in Afghanistan also come within the orbit ofthe Indian style. The pictures were done in varying media, eg. the walls of cave-shrincs and houses, palm- leaves, paper, wooden panels, cloth, ete The available matertal enlightens us considerably about the contemporary religious, social and cultural hives of the people Some of the most intensive emotional documents produced in India are preserved in the form of miniature paintings on paper painted in the quiet retreats of Rajasthan and the Elysian hill-states of the Himalayas. There are good collections of miniature paintings preserved in several museums in India, notably the National Museum, New Delhi, the Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi, the Municipal Museum, Allahabad, the Indian Museum (Arts Section), Calcutta, and the Prnce of Wales Museum, Bombay ; in Khudabaksh Library, Patna; in the palaces at Udaipur, Jaipur, Bikaner, Kishangarh, Bundi, Datia, Jodhpur, ete.; and with private individuals such as the late Sw Salar Jang, Hyderabad, the late Dewan Bahadur Radha Krishna Jalan, Patna, Dr. Alma Latifi, Bombay, Shri Kasturbhai Lalbhai, Ahmadabad, and Shri A. C. Ardeshir, Poona. Outside India, there are rich collections of Indian paintings in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Museum of Fine Arts, Voston, the Freer Art Gallery, Washington, and in the possession of Shri Chester Beatty, which treasures some unique illustrated manusenpts of the Mughul School. Taken together, Indian painting forms a worthy chapter in the history of world art A comprebensive study of its various phases and schools is still needed, and, more so, its adequate presentation. 2 INDIAN MINTATVIES EARLY HISTORY Leaving ande the primitive drawings in rock-shelters, the history of Indian painting begins with references to painted halls in early Buddhist literature. Buddha ts card to lavestated: ‘ Thereis no hind of decuratne art in the world more varied and pictonal than paintings (chita) * (di {thasdlini, Pali Text Society, p 64) Reference 14 also found to canvas-paintings shoving scenes of happi- ness im heaven and misery in hell Taken about by picture-showmen, they are called charara-chira, ‘rinerant paintings '. In [ster htetature we find frequent references to painted halls (chitra-sala), master-painters (chitrdchdrya), Goth-pamting (chin pota), painted wooden panels (chifra-phalala), painted murals (chitra-bhilte) and several technical aspects of the art, euch as the prepara- tion of the wall-surface with lime-plaster (sudid-partharma). laying the ground (bhiima-bandhana), primang (dhavalita), outline (dhdra-januka rekha), background (parabhdga), shading (tartand), highhght (ujotena), stipphng (bindu-rartand), pure and mixed colours (suddha-mgnta-varna), stances (sthdna}, as well as wan- ing and wazang or elimunatron of the different parts of the body whca the figure is viewed from different angles (Askaya-epeddii} The best of the paintings were intended to depict the various emotions (bhdra) and sentiments (zasa}, of which the snagira has been treated in epic detail in the Rayasthani and Himichala paintings Amongst the earhest extant paintings are the wall paintings at Ajanta - Caves IX and X (second century mc.); Caves NVI and XVII (fifth century av}, and Caves Land I] (fifth-sevesth century 40). The cave paintings at Bagh m Madhya Pradesh and Siginya i Cerlon date from the fifth century, and these m the Sittannavasal caves m sonth India from the seventh century. At Ellora m the Deccan we find pammtongs of the next period, 1.e eighth to eleventh centuries Thereafter the cue is taken up in western India by nch mimature pamt- ings, first on palm-leaf manuseripts (1100-1350) and later on paper down to about 1606, A httle earlier than aud partly contenyporaneous with the early phase of western Indian paintings 1s the Eastern School ef miniature paint- ing on pain-leaf in the manuscripts of the Pala penod (minth-twelfth centuttes}, of which some ongwal specimens have been recovered from Nepal. The cubsect of Pala mimatures 13 Mahiydna Buddhist deities depicted m small size on palm- leaf manvecmpts The ext 1s characterized by very simple composition, sm- ous hnes and subdued tones It is permeated by a feeling of devotion as deve- loped m the later phases of Mahiyins Buddhism. Yn south India pictonal actimty contwned on terople walls, of winch some vigorous specimens of the Chola period (eleventh centary) are still preserved in the Brihadigvara temple THE RAJASTHANT SCHOOL 3 of Thanjavur, though largely superrmposed by the seventeenth century Navaka palimpsests. THE WESTERN INDIAN SCHOOL After the palmy days of the Ajanta School, pictonal art developed on a somewhat extenssye scale in the Western Indian School of miniature parting with a remarkable record spread over five centuries (1100-1600) As mentioned above (p 2), it had two phases, the earher’on paim-leaf and the later on paper The best paintings belong to the period of transition (1350 1450), when paper was replacing palm-leaf The pamtings are distinguished by the amall- ness of size, generally 57 cm. square, containing decorative figures and short- statured men and women with angular faces im three-fourths profile, pointed noses and the farther eye protruding beyond the pinched cheek (referred to as diyardhaish: in the Mdnasollasa, efrea s.p. 1130), as also profuse accessory details of ornamentation worthy of the goldsmth’s art. The earlier miniatures show a brick-red background and simple celour-scheme, but the later ones, from the fifteenth century onwards, make use of blue and gold pigments on a lavish scale. The subject-matter of these paintings relates primarily to Svetambara Jaina texts, like the Kalpa-sitra, Kalahacharya-hatha and Uttaradhyayana-sitra. Later on, its scope included Brahmanical religious themes, such as the Béla- gopala-stuti and Devi mahatmye. Of particular miterest are some secular paintings, as the Vasania-vilasa (ap 1451), which are of great lyneal eharm snd illustrate the jeyous glory of the Spring The two leaves on plate I are from an illustrated manuscript of the Jaina Kalpa-sitra, dated a.D. 1439 and painted at Mandu m Malwa, thus showing that the Western Indian Rchool extended up to Malwa on the east. The name Western Indian or Gujarati School needs reorientation in the light of the latest discoveries, which show that its activity extended ta north India up to the Himalayas. The paintings m the Vishnu temple (1130 1165) at Madanpur in Laktpur District show some typical features of this School, ke the ‘ projecting eye’, which occurs also in the recently-discovered wall-paintings at Tsaparan in Tibet. This confirms the statement of Taranatha that the Western Indian style spread up to Kashmir and Nepal. It bas now to be accepted that this style once covered the wide territory from the Himalavas te Gujarat, melding Halwa and Rajasthan. One of its fleurishing centres was at Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, THE RAJASTHANI SCHOOL With the disappearance of the ‘ projecting eye’, the development of the profile face, the gradual elimination of angular features and the mevitable changes in drapery and ornamentation, the Western Indian School entered on a new phase + INDIAN MINIATURES during the sixteenth century and became transformed as the Rajasthani School. Fimmly-dated documents of early Rajasthani work of the sixteenth century still remain unpublished, hut there is ample evidence of the grafting of this schoo! on the paintings of the period of Akbar, a3 is evident from the actual presence of portions of patntings in Rajasthani style in several paintings of the Hama-nama and Razm-ndma at Jaipur, pamted for the imperial library of Akbar. The fusion of the Persian and Indian elements had started earlier in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, a3 we find in the illustrations of foreigners in the manuscripts of the Adlakachdrya-katha. Appropriate documents of the new phase belonging to the transitional period a3 it was developing during the sixteenth century may be expected from south Najasthan and Mewar. The Chauraparichésild paintings, though of unknown provenance, assume particular importance in the history of the early Rajasthaui School. The paintings reproduced on plates It and TEL beleng to a unique manu- seript which Mlustrates the theme of love according to a text called the Chaura- paichdskd by the Kashmin poct Bithana (second half of the eleventh century) The warmth of feeling in the poem has received eloquent expression in the paintings which are refreshing specimens im a school of rather monotunous creations The ‘projecting eye’ was a charactenstic feature of the Western Indian pamting. but in the early Rajasthani style of the sixteenth century we find, as m this manusenpt (about a.p. 1570}, faces sith the normal profile Ap illustrated mannseript of the Gita-gotinda (late sixteenth century), in the collection of Shn NC Mehta, with more than one hundred and fifty pamungs, shons even the more developed style, reinforced at the same time by some forma) features of the Western Indian School. The Rajasthani School, taking its root in the first half of the sixteenth eenturr, reached its high watermark during the seventeenth and retained its technical perfection and vitality during the eighteenth. It has to its credit a substantial creative activaty covering a wide area from Jaisalmer and Bikaner in the west to Kotah and Bandi in south-east Rajasthan and ta Datia and Orchha in north Madhya Pradesh, with Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Bikaner as its principal centres There was hardly any court which did not have its own painters, and work af approved merit was produced even at such places as Kishangarh, a few miles from Ajmer, where, during the time of Maharaja Samant Fingh, came into existence a local school to which we are indebted for some of the finest masterpieces of the Rajasthini style. A systematic study of the palace collections in Rajasthan is likely to reveal the full extent of the productions of this school The quahty of the RSjasthani paintings consistsin a primitive vigour, ditect~ ness of expression and untque richness of warm colours unknown jn any other THE RAJASTHENT ScHOOL 3 school. It appears as if the Rayisthini pamters had discovered the secret of colour-harmony, of blending together a vaned palette wath rare genius. These paintings preserved many of the traditional modes of drawings and reveal great shill in composition, The punters were fond of deptetmg nature according to their own conventions. The subject of the Rajasthani paintings, which was m ats best phases a very popular art, included the Avishna-lild (sports of Krishna), rdya-ragenis (niusical melodies), ndyiha-bheda (different classes of heromes into which Sanskrit and Hindi writers on love classified women) and pitte-chitra (seasons) Recently some manuscript have come to ight in this style illustrating ballads bke the Dhola-Mdru, Madhacinala-Kamakandalé, Hammira-hatha and Nala-Damayanti, and story-books Itke the Pasichatantra (of which the National Museum of India has acquired a fine set of tlurtysi¢ paintings) and the Addambari. The school, on the whole, reflects an exuberance of themes and ts backed by an uncommon inquiration in winch the impaseroned heart of Rajasthan in the realms of both fove and Aeror.n found its appropriate expression The paintings afford an insight into Rajasthani life as lived by both the royalty and the common man, the beauty of their somen and the feelings of their inspired and devoted hearts The most favoured subjects fur treatment were the ra@ga-malas, ‘ garlands of musical melodies ‘, as expressed in paimting They are derived from the inexhaustible fountam of the Indian relisious and 1ymeal imagination They keep close to the poetry, mu-ic and drama of the people, with love asthe central theme. The idea of associating music with painting is unique to Indian art. Fach rdga or rigtne has for its burden an emotional situation based on some facet of love, either in union or in separation. The painting is a visual repre- sentation of the state of mind introduced by the raga, treating the matenal world and nature as nurrors of that mood of passion The different ragas were considered appropriate to different seasons. As Nir Wilham Jones jias said* ‘ The artists were able to recall the memory of autumnal mernment at the close of the harvest, of reviving hilarity on the revival of blossoms and complete vernal delight in the month of Vasanta , of langour during the dry heat and refreshment by the first rains which bung a second Spring to the Indian season. The inventive talent of the Greeks never suggested more charming allegory than the lovely famthes of the six Ragas, named in the order of seasons, Bhairava, Malaya, Sri-Raga, Hindola or Vasanta, Dipaka and Megha, each of which is wedded to five Ragimis or nymphs of harmony presenting wonderfully diversified images for the play of the artist’ genins.” According to Coomaraswamy, who was the first te asses the merits of this school, ‘the work of the Rajput pamters deserves to be given an honourable place amongst the great arts of the world.’ 6 TRULAN MINEATURES Plates 1V and V illustrate the Maga-mald pictures, the latter depicting the joys of the Indian vernal senson which brings with it the breath of the god of love in the cooing of birds, in the hlowing of soft malaya breeze and in the bounty of flowers Krishna as the typical hero in these as in other Ldga-maff pictures, around whom is waven the rich texture of the passionate emotions, Painted m aD 1690 at Nacsinghgarh in Malwa, plate V reproduces a valuable docu- tient throwing light on the developed Rajasthani ety le during the seventeenth century, when the art was at its climax in the Rdge-mdld pictures. During the eighteenth conturs, it was influenced by the Mughul School, directing itself more particularly to portrait-painting and striving te import greater purity of line and richness of colour tenalities. Krishna Wfting Mount Govardhana {plate Vi) is stylistically a later and more formahzed picture Lts aubject relates ditertly to the life of Krishna. As the representation of an epiode, it is one of the highlights of the Rajacthini atyle, dealing with a large number of figures diapased of in two registers with scenic mountain-beauty in between, THE HIMACHALA SCHOOL The Himichala or Pahiri School was produced in the beehive of the sub- Himalayan States of Jammu, Basobli, Chamba, Nurpur, Guler, Kangra, Kulu, Mandi, Bilaspur, Suhet and, last of all, Garhwal. The School im its early stages owed much to Rajasthani inspiration, as seen specially in the brilliant colours of the Basobh paintings of the seventeenth century. Daring the eighteenth century the Hhmichala School showed oxuberance of creative activity and gathered many new themes for treatment —[¢ apperra that with the disintegration of the Mughul afeliers, imperial court-painters sought new patrons, and so we find that during the eighteenth century the Pahari painting developed a new quality of hne and colour tones Sansar Chand, a ruler of Kangra (1774-1823), was a great patrou of Pahari art Under his mspiration it attained all-round excellence and extension both an subjects andthe palette About that time the art found its patrons also in the Garbwal court, where masters like Manakd, Chaitu and Mola Ram produced fine work By the middle of the nineteenth century the traditions of this art had almost become extinct. The subjects of the Pahari paintings include different types of heroes and heroes (n@yaka-ndyila-bheda), Kytshna’s life as related in the Bhagavata, stories from the Rémdyana and the Mahabharata, especially those of Natz-Dama- yanti, Sdvitri-Setyavin, Oshd-chanta and Parydta-harana, a8 also folk-ballads like the Sokant-Mahival, Vilrama-Vetdla and Siva-Parvati-vivahe. Krishna aud Radha, as the divine pair, form the quintessence of this art, being elevated THE HISACHAL’ sc HOUL 7 to a new spiritual conception typifying the Supreme boul and the individual soulreapectively, The entire gamat of human emotions 1s transmitted to picte nal form through the symbolism of the dixane lovers, representing the eternal man and woman. In the quiet Himalayan retreats the painters aud ther royal patrons were allowed by kindly nature to spend a happy hfe an an ids llic world saturated with beauty and love. The focat pont of the Himichala School consists in the flaming beauty of the woman, her hfe as lived through the twelve months (hira-masa}, the six seasons and the twenty four hours of the day {ashta-yama). Passionate love 15 here enriched by that devotional feeling which the heart of a woman experiences for the man she loves. In these paintings the woman alone is real and her form is imprinted on the mind through hundredsofbeantifuldrawings The man Ines and shines in her splendour. We do not gather any lasting impression of male beauty in the Himachala parntings, but the dehescy of the femmine body, the woman $ graceful form, the radiance of her face and the indescn bable los eliness of her hfe—all are subjects in w hich the master painters of Kangra excelled The mintatures move close to the devotional-eum erotic poetry of Bra) Bhasha throngh which iyneal singers have poured forth their hearts in mingled strains of devotion and love. The love-epi-odes of Radha and Krishna are not incidents of individual bfe but divine sport or [i/d which unfolds inces 10> 7 em National Museum of India, New Deihi. This gold-lettered (surar: alshart) Kalpa-sitra represents the highest water- mark of the Western Indian School, with its fine and fluent lines and carefully drawn figures and the u=ual cons entions of the farther eye, the flaming red back- ground, vellov or gold complemon of the figures and angularity in facial drawings Care has heen taken to depict the details of costume, ornaments, and farniture. Fohotthastwoscenes The topscene depicts king Samudravijara explain- ing to queen Siva the meaning of the Fourteen Dreams. The hing, seated ona golden high-backed throne in a po-e customary in this att, holds a sword in right hand. He wears a crown on the head, broad disenlar ear-rings, a torque, a neck- lace, wnstlets, anblets, a checkered dhofi, and a strped scarf with broad printed borders Siva, seated on a lotus, wears a blue bodice and a checkered sd7i_ “Her ornaments const of a bejewelled maud: on the head, ear-rings, torque, pearl- strings, hangles and double anklets. The scene is laid inside an apartment having a rolled up screen above The birth of Neminatha is chown in the bottem scene. Siva 1s Ing ona golden cot with projecting legs and an ornamental bed-spread with a child of dark colouronhernghtarm. She wearsa pink Vodice. A lampissuspended from the cabng. Onthe ground area high tray, 2 small box and a water-pot {fhar}). Folio 61 shows Titthankara plucking out his hair. He has divested himself of all has ornaments, which are ying on the ground in front of hmm, e.g.a crown, a necklace andear-rings Bebind him standsan attendant holding a royal parasol of blue cloth with embroidered pearl-designs. In the two comers of the picture are dark clouds See ASAT rs SSSA aUigeP Bj Bawleeeiebyse SAA | //Quredis # HELE UERIPE |S BAhHBEWLHPEABIRER G. PeRIELAEN are VES Fo Co ea sf ta jo} | woth Jee “ee SE ete Ca tena, Es TLATE WE CHAMPAVATI AND HER MAID IN A GARDEN A page from an slustrated manuscript of the Chanrapaichdsihd, a poom by the Kashmiri poet Bilhana (eleventh century). Early Rajasthani School, About ac. 1570. Sizes 164.4218 em, N.C. Mehta collection, Bombay. The decorstwe nature of this art is stull father stressed in this example as Been m the lotus pond, fowenng plantain tree, the spray-hhe shrub and the alit- cornered honzon at the top, Champivatt is standing with her salé7 under a pavilion on u terrace inside agarden. On the left isa smaller pavilion marhing the entrance with a double screen behind 1t. The banana tree and the flowery shrubs are typical of the gar- den A lotus-Iske with flowers, birds, and fish is shown in the fore-ground. The attitude of Champavati is indicative of her longing to meet her lover. ‘The dress of the heroine and her confidante consists of a transparent odhant, tight-fitting half sleeved bodice fastened with a string at the lower end, checkered rari and hanging pati. ‘The sal Jz is holding a fly-whisk in nght hand ; a cloth- covered fan 13 hanging from her arm. Fert ami a fetter pore qerrentrapetary 1 Regi prey op ania rine ou Translation Even now do t remember my beloved. sniling and bent law with the burden of her breasts, and her neck being whitened with pearls—one like the very spou-+ of the God of Love possessed of shining beauty and impassioned love - Ne Ea he < PLATE IV SARANGA-RAGINI Rsjasthint School, Mewar. Middle of the seventeenth century, Sizer 23-517 em. National Museum of India, New Delbi. This Riga-mila painting forms part of a set of fortyone Tigi and Raxinix The pictorial conception of the Raiga-malis had been evolved in the latter hall of the esxteenth century, but it had te wait another half a century to attain the developed and charming idiom seen in the present picture. Meaar was the pulsating centre of ths new renansance in form, colour, decorative treatment and vital expression. The lingering influences of the Weatern Indian School are visible in the treat- ment of the doll-like cows, decorative foliage and partly in the oddani arranged sma big sweep covering the entire length of the fernale Agures ag in Jaina minia- tures The red background too points m the same direction. The scene 13 Jad ina garden with mango, palm, cypress and plantain trees. In the centre is Kishna, shown ag fout-armed Vishnu, the young Radha offering him a betel. In the foreground are seen three cous and a calf. A peacock rests on the mango-tree. In the shy ts the radiant sun, Text art on Gye Fs efopreengte afar: coma mfr waft a ga: Fit ders i mq wer oma owt afro: Teaver: am att miriGijsaformg? oar grt ou Translation _ TheRaranga-Ragimi, holding a Jute near its neck, filed with devotion for singing the prasses of Hari and harbouring a secret passion for Krishna, is proficient in the art of music. The sage Narada feels enraptured with song in the couipany of his friend Parvata. Such is the Raga Siratiga conceived of b Knowledgeable poets, . * wwe PLATE V THE SPRING SEASON {VASANT-2U7U) Rayasthini School, Malwa. Painted hy Madbo Das at Narvinghgarh. Sve: 22K15 em. National Museum of India, New Delhi. The Rajasthani School attained ite highest watermark during the fatter half of the seventeenth century, and Malwa, where this picture was painted in a.n, 1686, formed an active cradle of that powerful mavement of learning, art and culture. The figures are now slim, the composition reveals the perfect mastery of integration and balance. The scene is laid nade a garden full of trees and Mowers, symbolizing the Spring in full bloom, of which the joy is shared by-the singing black euehoo, the flying parrot, the peacocks and the dove, In the foreground is shown a lotus- lake, which for Long contintied a8 s typical feature of Rijasthini printing. The hilarions Vasanta is represented as the joyously dancing Krahn, pamted against a flaming red background. On his night 15 a female companion plying Sigerously on mridanga, and on felt anethet plying on cymbals. The costume of both the male and female figures has by now further developed, specially nateworthy being the tight female bodice (angtyd) of nvuch shorter length and the introduction of akirt in place af sir? Krishna wears aver his dhofi a short skart called Aachhni. Text fe adage: ge fre aq eager 1 TEM Tray | war a. Translation b ‘Vasant, with hair arranged, as the feathers of peacochs, pleasing the cuckoo urd by 1t8 mango creepers and sufrotinde Ay Women, roams j ly i the forest as the embodied God of Lore, FRAY Women, roams joyously & * et aie, PLATS. VI RiISHNA LIFTING MOUNT GOVARDHANA Rajsthini School, Mewar, End of the seventecuth or early eighteenth eentury. Swe. 40x20 cm, Dhamt Kali Bhavan, Varanad. The Rajasthini School atall further developerl hy a.n. 1700 its facife resources for careful drawing, skilful comporition, colour harmonies and soplisticated treatment, as medicated in this charming painting of the Mewar Sub school. The painting belongs to a series of Rrishin adits pictures, The grouping is now much more advanced, the three resisters depicting the thee important eles ments of the scene cleverly composed, Krishna is shown Ifting Mount Govar- dhana. The elegant and peaceful figure of Krishna poieed in the centre with the people vf Braja on the two sides tavder the shade of the massive mountain in- theate the very assured and bold compositional shill which thear painters had attained. Onthe hillisshowna couple af ascetice perfonnine aurterities undie. turbed hy heavy showers In the sky above is god Endra on his white elephant (Airiivata), and the deitu in the clouds report te him their failure in cattving out fully his command to wash away Cohuh. . ¥n the lower register is shown Krishna in the centre with Nanda on his left anda munber of can herds, women and children and cows arranged on both sides. There is quiet confidence, toa, on the fies of the inmates of Gokuli, and the cows crouching in complete fearlessness, having a natural faith in the mitaculous powerofKyshna. The landscape ie rendered say by the overgrowth of a variety of trees, shrubs and flowers covering the hillside,” . ieee” SBR eet ee, SENS es ate eSian ey SARA SS Peden ave tn Aa Finjpmete eieaemt, SOS oy se tee Cope tbbee cactecepgt tat? a Ny Cap eres BR / -?, SSS ss PLATE VOI KRISHNA INVITED TO THE HOUSE OF Agopl Tahari School, Basohli, Middle of the eighteenth century, Size: 23-7 10-6 cm. Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi, We find in this miniature the painters of the Basohii School e having won even greater laurels in the rendering of figures full o i f bustling life and charming “, Krishna has been invited to the house of a Aovered carpet spread on the floor, A curd-pot is shown hanging from the ceil- ing, The gop? is standing on her tocs and streteling herself to take the pot own, exposing the beauty of her youthful form, Krishna becomes enamoured iid’. ‘ome moments longer, - 223) of the poet Bibari in the Bihari milk-maid and is sitting on a Test ae edt fra at fe q 32 safer at g ath at @ aw aku Trenslation O dear, hold not the curd-pot to take it down, but e: ceptional charm in this pose of touching the swingin: you are, ° xposing as you do, ex- g loop, 0 fair one, stay onas f__f Been PORN _ eee funnies Df nie ae m Bee : Le Ld. ae | jae on . PLATE IX VIPRALABDHA-NAYIBA; A FRUSTRATED HEROINE Pahari School, Kangra. Middle of the eighteenth century. Size: 21-5%13-8 cm. Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, Bombay. ‘The fullest power and vitality of the Pahiri art were attained in the mature stage of the Kaners Sub-school in the second half of the cighteenth century. ‘The fine delineation of the human form, wide and vigorous landscapes, beautiful colour schemes, natural treatment of trees, shrubs and flowers are worthy of the greatest masters of the school. The present miniature is a gem of Pahariart. The heroine has proceeded in the full-moon night to the tryating place to meet her Iover. As he does not turn up, she feels frustrated. In acute distress of heart she throws off her ornaments on the ground. A pearl-string and necklet are lying near the feet, and she is tearing off ber right urmlet. A part of the bed of green Jotus leaves spread for the Jover is shown behind her. The scene is Jaid in a forest with a pool in the foreground, There are two varieties of trysting heroines, the Suklabhisarika, those who come out in a moonlit night, as here, and the Krishnabhisavikd, those who tryst in a dark night. PLATE X UTKANTHITA-NAYIKA: AN EXPUCTANT HEROINE Pahari School, Kangra (Garhwal). About a.p. 1800, Size: 2t5x14 om. Kasturbhai Lalbhai collection, Aumadabad. The Pahigi Schoot reveals in this painting lyrical qualities of the highest type, showing a balance in the capacity of the artist to depict tense human emotion with perfect mastery aver technical execution. The sombre atmosphere of the night is relieved by the effulgent beauty of the heroine, made gay by the new moon and the birds and animals attuned to her adventure. The wihanthite-nayiha is one of the eight traditional classes of heroines into which the Sanskrit poets divide women as engaged in love-affuirs. Radha js waiting anxiously for Krishna at night time at the trysting place She is seated on a pile of leaves The scene fs laid in a jangle by the side of 3 pool with aquatic birds.

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