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 heroes and heroines, was a popular secular theme in Rajput court painting. While the attributes and depictions of nayikas have been extensively studied, those of nayakas have received less attention. Bharata, the renowned scholar and aesthete of the 1st century AD, described the ashtanayika, or eight archetypes of heroines, and their various moods and states. He also proposed four classes of nayakas: Dheerodatt, Dheeroddhat, Dheeralalit, and Dheerprashant.

The Dheeralalit Nayaka is soft, romantic, and a lover of art. Here, Krishna, the nayaka, appears in the role usually associated with the Virahotkanthita Nayika, the heroine who awaits her beloved outdoors beside a leafy bed. Krishna occupies the lower right, while two gopis stand at left, one balancing a golden pot on her head, possibly conveying a message. A settlement of thatched huts appears above, backed by trees. Horizontal lines suggest grass, while a shaded blue evening sky and flowing water add depth. The painting is enclosed within an oval cartouche, framed by floral borders and a pale ground.

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 heroes and heroines, was a popular secular theme in Rajput court painting. While the attributes and depictions of nayikas have been extensively studied, those of nayakas have received less attention. Bharata, the renowned scholar and aesthete of the 1st century AD, described the ashtanayika, or eight archetypes of heroines, and their various moods and states. He also proposed four classes of nayakas: Dheerodatt, Dheeroddhat, Dheeralalit, and Dheerprashant.

The Dheeralalit Nayaka is soft, romantic, and a lover of art. Here, Krishna, the nayaka, appears in the role usually associated with the Virahotkanthita Nayika, the heroine who awaits her beloved outdoors beside a leafy bed. Krishna occupies the lower right, while two gopis stand at left, one balancing a golden pot on her head, possibly conveying a message. A settlement of thatched huts appears above, backed by trees. Horizontal lines suggest grass, while a shaded blue evening sky and flowing water add depth. The painting is enclosed within an oval cartouche, framed by floral borders and a pale ground.