AN INDIAN MINIATURE PAINTING OF THE RASALILA, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
Northwestern India, Rajasthan, 1750-1850. Ink, watercolors, and gold on paper. Finely painted with the blue-skinned Krishna dancing with Radha in the center, the pair surrounded by eight gopis encircled by numerous dancing and flute-playing Krishnas and twirling gopis. The top register with gods showering blessings in the form of petals on the lila, the lower register with women playing musical instruments, all in a verdant landscape under twilight.


Provenance
: From a private collection in Rhineland, Germany.

Condition
: Good condition with minor wear, soiling, small losses.

Dimensions: Image size 28.5 x 21 cm, Size incl. frame 43.5 x 35.5 cm

Matted and framed behind glass. (2)


The Rasalila
is a mythological story from the Bhagavata Purana and the Gita Govinda in which Krishna’s lover Radha and the gopis, entranced by the music of Krishna's flute, spend the night in ecstatic dance and celebration. Krishna uses his heavenly powers to multiply himself so that, though they link arms and dance in a circle, each gopi feels that she alone is the focus of his attention, thus fulfilling the unconditional devotion (bhakti) each maiden feels for Krishna.


Museum comparison:

Compare a related miniature painting depicting the same subject, dated c. 1750, 28.4 x 21.6 cm, in The Kronos Collections, exhibited by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Seeing the Divine: Pahari Painting of North India, 22 December 2018-28 July 2019. Compare a related miniature painting depicting the same subject, dated c. 1840, 33.7 x 24.6 cm, in The Art Gallery of New South Wales, accession number 130.1986.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 March 2019, lot 712
Price: USD 17,500 or approx.
EUR 19,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A painting of Krishna and Radha dancing (Rasamandala), Northwest India, Rajasthan, Bikaner, late 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related manner of painting and subject, also depicting Krishna and Radha dancing surrounded by gopis (albeit not the Rasalila). Note the size (28.6 x 20 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Paris, 18 November 2013, lot 129
Price: EUR 6,000 or approx.
EUR 7,100
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Indian Miniature: Krishna dancing with Radha, India, Rajasthan, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related manner of painting and subject, also depicting Krishna and Radha dancing surrounded by gopis (albeit not the Rasalila). Note the size (29 x 22 cm).