NAAG PAASH
INDIA, RAJASTHAN, UDAIPUR, 18TH CENTURY
Estimate: £3,500 - £4,500
Auction: 11 June 2025 from 10:00 BST
Description
gouache on paper, an intricate mesh is formed by the coils of a very long snake that loops in on itself to tighten a complex series of reef knots and corner loops, the venomous head with hissing tongue and the darting tail of the snake meeting at the centre of the picture where the snake both begins and ends
Dimensions
23.2cm x 29.3cm
Footnote
This Mewari artist quickly captures the eye of the onlooker with the hissing and coils of a serpent in this unusual Indian painting, inscribed on reverse in nagari 'naag paash' meaning serpent-noose. Vishvajit, also derived from 'naag paash', was the name given to the lasso used by Varuna, an important Vedic deityj. This deadly weapon was again used by Ravana, one of the demons in the Ramayana, when he tried to ensnare Rama and Lakshmana. Garuda, the god and king of birds and enemy of snakes, swiftly comes to the rescue by loosening the naag paash and releasing Ravana's deadly grip. For further discussion, see A.Sattar, The Ramayana by Valmiki, New York, 1996, and A. Dalapiccola, Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend, London, 2002.