
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 StreetSold 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
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.
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.