Thank you for registering for our auction! You are required to provide: 1. Deposit; 保证金待商议; 2. Copy or images of ID card (front and back) or Passport 3. Images of Credit card (front and back).
KANGRA, PUNJAB HILLS, NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1840 Opaque pigments heightened with gold and silver on paper, Krishna seated with his brother Balabhadra in a golden howdah atop an elephant, with identification inscriptions to their sides in minute white devanagari script, they follow a palanquin carrying the bride Rukmani, within a narrow dark blue border with white rules, with further red rules and pink margins, the reverse plain, the fly-leaf with one line of black devanagari script identifying the scene, a later inscription in dark brown ink below Painting 8 ? x 11 1/8in. (22.4 x 28.3cm.); folio 10 5/8 x 13 3/8in. (27 x 34cm.)
This painting is an illustration from the Rukmani Harana, the abduction of Rukmani, a series which is part of the Bhagavata Purana. Rukmani, princess of the kingdom of Vidarbha, was in love with Krishna but her brother, Rukma, had arranged for her to be married to his friend and ally, Shishupala. A despairing Rukmani sent a message to Krishna to rescue her. Krishna arrived in a chariot at the Devi temple where Rukmani and her ladies went to pray and the two escaped. Krishna and Rukmani were married at Madhavpur. Here the wedding procession is depicted making its way to Dwarka where the newly-wed couple will be welcomed with great pomp.
The figures of Krishna and the attendant ladies of Rukmani find close comparison with the figures in another Kangra painting, dated to circa 1850, which depicts an intimate scene with Krishna undressing Radha. Krishna’s facial features, his head dress, jewellery details as well as those of Rukmani’s attendants in our painting are very similar to those in the illustration with Krishna and Radha. For further discussion, see Archer, 1973, Vol.I, pp.308-309, Kangra 72; Vol.II, illus.p.233.