
Mark Rasmussen
International Director
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US$8,000 - US$12,000
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International Director
Arthanashmanirvana/ virodhavyadhisambhava/ shokasantayahaanishva/ tularupamvinirdishotu/ 33/ neshta/ gaon 4' (keemat 9)
"Destruction and negative events possible, grief and danger to offspring, [all these] a pair of scales indicate/ 33/ an undesirable omen ([in a different hand] value 9)"
According to Andrew Topsfield, this Sakunavali series was a unique commission in Udaipur. It consisted of almost a hundred pages, graded in progressive categories from evil (asubham; e.g. a burgled house or families of dogs and monkeys) and undesirable (neshta; e.g. a poor man), to good (subham; e.g. cows in a byre), excellent (srestha; e.g. a yogi in a hermitage or a king enthroned) and the best of all (uttaram; e.g. winged gaja-simhas or a pride of lions).
Most subjects of this series are drawn from everyday experiences and rendered with an unaffected directness of experience. Irrespective of connotations of loss, ill health or bad fortune, bad omens are realized as sensitively as the good ones. (Court Painting at Udaipur, Zurich, 2001, p. 144.)
For others from the same series see Bautze, Indian Miniature Painting, Amsterdam, 1987,no. 23; Goswamy and Smith, Domains of Wonder, 2005, no. 31. Also see Sotheby's, London, 1966, lot 100. Bonhams, London, 6 October 2008, lot 391; Christie's, London, 10 October 2013, lot 196, and Christie's, South Kensington, 11 October 2013, lot 507, and Simon Ray, November 2014, no. 53.
Provenance:
Private Collection, Germany