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Lot 308

Raja Sidh Sen (reg. 1684-1727) seated against a bolster on a terrace, holding a sword
Mandi, second half of the 18th Century

25 October 2021, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £2,550 inc. premium

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Raja Sidh Sen (reg. 1684-1727) seated against a bolster on a terrace, holding a sword
Mandi, second half of the 18th Century

gouache on paper, inner ruled margins, red border, stamp of the Royal Library of Mandi verso
268 x 172 mm.

Footnotes

Raja Sidh Sen was famous amongst rulers of Mandi for his enormous stature and his prowess in battle, and was in addition supposed to possess supernatural powers. He was 50 on accession and lived until around one hundred. The way he fills the frame, as well as the inordinate size of his sword, is a visual expression of this. The sword itself was held to possess the magical power to scare off the demons surrounding childbirth and to bring to an end protracted labour. See W. G. Archer, Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills, London 1973, vol. I, pp. 346, 353, 359; vol. II, p. 262, no. 4, p. 271, no. 32.

Additional information