Lot 81
Estimate: £3,000 - £4,000
Auction: 11 December 2024 from 10:00 GMT
gouache on paper, depicting the raja smoking from a hookah pipe with the hookah base placed before him, each member of the group dressed in white holding a little flower, many with tulwars by their sides, musicians performing in the foreground, flanked by attendants in the background, nagiri inscription on verso
22.7cm x 31.5cm
This Rajasthani painting executed at a small thikana school close to Jodhpur in Marwar has a strong vibrancy, mainly derived from the subject smoking a hookah surrounded by courtiers with the hookah base placed centrally in the foreground. Careful thought has gone into the positions around the main figure and the colour of some of the turbans makes for a beautiful contrast against the white jamas. For a close comparison see:
R.Crill, Marwar Painting, Mumbai, 1999, fig. 80.