Important Notice

Garhwal School
Circa 1840
Natural pigments on paper heightened with gold
9.75 x 7.5 in (25 x 19 cm)

NON-EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY

PROVENANCE
Christie's, London, 10 April 2014, lot 163



Nayak Nayika bheda or the classification of hero and heroines was one of the most popular secular themes painted at Rajput courts. While the attributes and depictions of Nayikas have been much studied and researched, this is not so in the case of Nayakas. Bharat, a renowned scholar and aesthete from the 1st century CE, has given us the famous asthanayika (eight states/types of heroines) and their classification depicting the moods and state of the Nayika.
Alongside these eight he also gave four classes of Nayak as: Dheerodatt, Dheeroddhat, Dheeralalit , and Dheerprashant.
Dheeralalit Nayaka is one who is soft, romantic, and a lover of art. In this depiction a greyish-blue complexioned Krishna, the Nayaka or hero is shown in the place of the Virahotakanthita nayika, the one who awaits her beloved in the outdoors beside a bed of leaves amidst trees. Krishna is seen in the lower right of the composition while on the lower left are two Gopis (female cowherds and friends of Krishna), one of whom is seen balancing a golden-coloured pot on her head, possibly conveying a message. A village settlement of
huts with thatched roofs is seen at the top left encircled by wooden logs tied with red cloth and a dense tree line is visible behind the settlement. The green ground of the painting has the signature Kangra horizontal lines that convey an impression of grass, while a subtly shaded blue evening skyline is visible at the top. A detail of a flowing water body adds perspective to the foreground. The entire painting is enclosed within an oval cartouche, with the four corners depicting a sophisticated floral mesh against the pale ground. An inner blue border of alternating, big, and small repeat floral motifs surrounds the painting.

Garhwal School
Circa 1840
Natural pigments on paper heightened with gold
9.75 x 7.5 in (25 x 19 cm)

NON-EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY

PROVENANCE
Christie's, London, 10 April 2014, lot 163



Nayak Nayika bheda or the classification of hero and heroines was one of the most popular secular themes painted at Rajput courts. While the attributes and depictions of Nayikas have been much studied and researched, this is not so in the case of Nayakas. Bharat, a renowned scholar and aesthete from the 1st century CE, has given us the famous asthanayika (eight states/types of heroines) and their classification depicting the moods and state of the Nayika.
Alongside these eight he also gave four classes of Nayak as: Dheerodatt, Dheeroddhat, Dheeralalit , and Dheerprashant.
Dheeralalit Nayaka is one who is soft, romantic, and a lover of art. In this depiction a greyish-blue complexioned Krishna, the Nayaka or hero is shown in the place of the Virahotakanthita nayika, the one who awaits her beloved in the outdoors beside a bed of leaves amidst trees. Krishna is seen in the lower right of the composition while on the lower left are two Gopis (female cowherds and friends of Krishna), one of whom is seen balancing a golden-coloured pot on her head, possibly conveying a message. A village settlement of
huts with thatched roofs is seen at the top left encircled by wooden logs tied with red cloth and a dense tree line is visible behind the settlement. The green ground of the painting has the signature Kangra horizontal lines that convey an impression of grass, while a subtly shaded blue evening skyline is visible at the top. A detail of a flowing water body adds perspective to the foreground. The entire painting is enclosed within an oval cartouche, with the four corners depicting a sophisticated floral mesh against the pale ground. An inner blue border of alternating, big, and small repeat floral motifs surrounds the painting.