25th Nov, 2023 12:00
Islamic, Indian and Asian Art
70
Indian Miniature Painting, Bundi School.
Provincial Bundi school, Rajasthan, Northern India, 19th century
Opaque and transparent pigments on paper, depicting a princess feeding a peacock in a palace courtyard, above her another peacock in mid-flight, all beneath a rectangular cartouche with Devanagari script.
21 x 14 cm
Part of the Javitri Shah Collection.
Bundi Painting:
Būndi painting, important school of the Rājasthanī style of Indian miniature painting that lasted from the 17th to the end of the 19th century in the princely state of Būndi and its neighbouring principality of Kotah (both in the present state of Rājasthān). The earliest examples (c. 1625) show Rājasthanī features, particularly in the depiction of men and women, but Mughal influence is exceptionally strong. In richness and brilliance Būndi painting has an affinity also with the painting of the Deccan, an area with which the rulers of Būndi and Kotah were often in contact.
The Būndi school is characterized by a fondness for lush vegetation, dramatic night skies, a distinctive way of depicting water by light swirls against a dark background, and vivid movement. The school reached its peak during the first half of the 18th century but continued to flourish into the 19th century and had a brilliant phase at Kotah during the reign of Rām Singh II (1828–66). These vigorous paintings depict royal tiger hunts in the thick and hilly jungle of the region and various aspects of the life of the king.
Sold for €220
Provincial Bundi school, Rajasthan, Northern India, 19th century
Opaque and transparent pigments on paper, depicting a princess feeding a peacock in a palace courtyard, above her another peacock in mid-flight, all beneath a rectangular cartouche with Devanagari script.
21 x 14 cm
Part of the Javitri Shah Collection.
Bundi Painting:
Būndi painting, important school of the Rājasthanī style of Indian miniature painting that lasted from the 17th to the end of the 19th century in the princely state of Būndi and its neighbouring principality of Kotah (both in the present state of Rājasthān). The earliest examples (c. 1625) show Rājasthanī features, particularly in the depiction of men and women, but Mughal influence is exceptionally strong. In richness and brilliance Būndi painting has an affinity also with the painting of the Deccan, an area with which the rulers of Būndi and Kotah were often in contact.
The Būndi school is characterized by a fondness for lush vegetation, dramatic night skies, a distinctive way of depicting water by light swirls against a dark background, and vivid movement. The school reached its peak during the first half of the 18th century but continued to flourish into the 19th century and had a brilliant phase at Kotah during the reign of Rām Singh II (1828–66). These vigorous paintings depict royal tiger hunts in the thick and hilly jungle of the region and various aspects of the life of the king.
Auction: Islamic, Indian and Asian Art, 25th Nov, 2023
Our upcoming sale of Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian Art will present an array of objects created over the course of 20 centuries in the middle east, Asia, the Himalayas, and India. Included in the auction are sculptures in bronze and stone, such as an impressive 10th-century sandstone head of Shiva from Uttar Pradesh, India, gilt bronze Buddhas, Indian furniture, miniature paintings and jewellery.
