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A female worshipper visits a shrine at night
Attributed to Kavala, Devgarh, circa 1810-15
Inscribed verso with the devanagari number: '14'
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; wearing multiple strands of pearl and gem necklaces the female's slender naked frame is is partially obscured by a white diaphanous shawl. She approaches the shrine with a gilt tray bearing a flaming lamp and small vessels. In her left hand she carries the obligatory water pot (lota). trotting by her side is a well-manicured white dog with a large rounded eye set upon its master. The black lingham is adorned with bands of pink flowers and is set o a rectangular platform by a model of a recumbent Nandi. The pulsing green light around the female gives way to a dark narrow lake and lighter rolling hills and further wild rocky hills and a brilliant red and yellow dawn sky.
Folio: 9¹⁄₈ x 7¾ in. (23 x 19.7 cm)
Inscribed verso with the devanagari number: '14'
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; wearing multiple strands of pearl and gem necklaces the female's slender naked frame is is partially obscured by a white diaphanous shawl. She approaches the shrine with a gilt tray bearing a flaming lamp and small vessels. In her left hand she carries the obligatory water pot (lota). trotting by her side is a well-manicured white dog with a large rounded eye set upon its master. The black lingham is adorned with bands of pink flowers and is set o a rectangular platform by a model of a recumbent Nandi. The pulsing green light around the female gives way to a dark narrow lake and lighter rolling hills and further wild rocky hills and a brilliant red and yellow dawn sky.
Folio: 9¹⁄₈ x 7¾ in. (23 x 19.7 cm)
Sold for
US$ 10,000
inc. premium
Footnotes
- The distinctive profile of the slightly pointed nose is the once distinguishing feature of Kavala's style that deviates from that of his brother Chokha. Both artists use large sleepy eyes and heavy shading around the face. The treatment of the rocky hills and angular lake compare with a closely related work in the Benkaim Collection of a female sun worshiper, see Williams, Kingdom of the Sun, 2007, no. 33, p. 158. Also compare with a closely related scene attributable to Chokha, of a lady approaching a Shiva shrine, see Pal, Flute and the Brush, 1976, no.17.
Provenance:
Private Collection, England
Acquired in 1970s
Category: Asian Art / Southeast Asian, Indian and Himalayan Art
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