
Dora Tan
Head of Sale, Specialist
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Sold for US$6,375 inc. premium
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Head of Sale, Specialist

International Director
The elaborate décor, with gilded arches and glass chandeliers, is typical of wealthy merchant interiors in the late 18th and early 19th century. Compare a painting of :"The Marriage of Krishna and Satyabhama" sold at Bonhams, London, 22 October 2019, lot 126, and another of "Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma Holding Court" in the British Museum (Dallapiccola, South Indian Painting, 2010, p.158, no.12.7), though the present lot is far more refined and detailed than the latter.
The vina being played has a distinctive yali-head terminal and inlaid ivory detailing found in exquisite instruments produced at Vizagapatinam, such as a Saraswati vina, c.1870-90, in the Victoria & Albert Museum (IS.82-1890). Such a fine instrument suggests that the musician pictured with an inquisitive gaze at the viewer was a musician of some acclaim.
Provenance:
Ex-Estate of George McFadden (1941-2010), New York