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Lot Essay
Inscriptions:
1. Shri nathji ko Braj nathji ko pata uchhav ko singar hei [Shrinathji dressed as Brajnathji on Pata Utsava (festival)]; 2. pavitray kadsi ko uchhav hei [Shrinathji dressed on the festival of Pavitra Ekadasi]; 3. Mangla in Winter (first darshan after Shrinathji is given bath); 4. Shri nathji ko Pavitra Ekadasi ko singar hei [Shrinathji dressed on the festival of Pavitra Ekadasi ]; 5. Shri nathji ko hori dandi ko uchhav hei [Shrinathji dressed on the festival of Holi (festival of colour); 6. Shri nathji ko Rakhi ko uchhav ko singar hei [ Shrinathji dressed on the festival of Rakhi]
The Vallabha sect believe in the ritual worship of images, svarups, which totally and forever incorporate the essence of the god. Sri Nathji is the pre-eminent example of self-created images (nidhi-svarups) of the Lord Krishna. Left arm raised, holding aloft Mount Govardhan thus protecting the people of Braj from a storm sent by Indra, the black stone image of Sri Nathji is housed in a temple in Nathdwara. The image is daily washed and dressed, often multiple times a day, according to festivals throughout the year, hence the six different paintings in the present lot. In 1719 Maharao Bhim Singh received an image of Bri Nathji, similar in pose to Sri Nathji, becoming a devotee of the Vallabha. Sri Nathji holds particular importance for Kota and it is difficult to distinguish Kota or Nathdwara paintings of the image. It was Joachim Bautze who made the attribution in 1987 who believed the deep red borders with double white rule and inscriptions in white nagari suggest similarities to Kishor Singh’s own set of paintings (J. Bautze, 'Zur Darstellung der Hauptgottheiten Kotas in der Malerie der zweiten Halfte des 18. und der ersten Halfte des 19. Jahrhunderts' Berliner Indoloigische Studien, Bd.3, 1987, pp.123-38).
Similar Sri Nathji paintings have been sold in Christie’s New York, 20 March 2008, lots 281 and 282; and online 17-27 May 2016, lots 22 and 24.
1. Shri nathji ko Braj nathji ko pata uchhav ko singar hei [Shrinathji dressed as Brajnathji on Pata Utsava (festival)]; 2. pavitray kadsi ko uchhav hei [Shrinathji dressed on the festival of Pavitra Ekadasi]; 3. Mangla in Winter (first darshan after Shrinathji is given bath); 4. Shri nathji ko Pavitra Ekadasi ko singar hei [Shrinathji dressed on the festival of Pavitra Ekadasi ]; 5. Shri nathji ko hori dandi ko uchhav hei [Shrinathji dressed on the festival of Holi (festival of colour); 6. Shri nathji ko Rakhi ko uchhav ko singar hei [ Shrinathji dressed on the festival of Rakhi]
The Vallabha sect believe in the ritual worship of images, svarups, which totally and forever incorporate the essence of the god. Sri Nathji is the pre-eminent example of self-created images (nidhi-svarups) of the Lord Krishna. Left arm raised, holding aloft Mount Govardhan thus protecting the people of Braj from a storm sent by Indra, the black stone image of Sri Nathji is housed in a temple in Nathdwara. The image is daily washed and dressed, often multiple times a day, according to festivals throughout the year, hence the six different paintings in the present lot. In 1719 Maharao Bhim Singh received an image of Bri Nathji, similar in pose to Sri Nathji, becoming a devotee of the Vallabha. Sri Nathji holds particular importance for Kota and it is difficult to distinguish Kota or Nathdwara paintings of the image. It was Joachim Bautze who made the attribution in 1987 who believed the deep red borders with double white rule and inscriptions in white nagari suggest similarities to Kishor Singh’s own set of paintings (J. Bautze, 'Zur Darstellung der Hauptgottheiten Kotas in der Malerie der zweiten Halfte des 18. und der ersten Halfte des 19. Jahrhunderts' Berliner Indoloigische Studien, Bd.3, 1987, pp.123-38).
Similar Sri Nathji paintings have been sold in Christie’s New York, 20 March 2008, lots 281 and 282; and online 17-27 May 2016, lots 22 and 24.