Maqbool Fida Husain (b. 1915)

Canvas appears to be in overall good condition. Colours of original are brighter than catalogue illustration, especially in reds, yellows and greens.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

'There is an exalted dignity about the people who inhabit Husain's canvasses.  Peasants, workers, craftsmen, women toiling in fields, or huddled together in conversation all have self-contained poise, the stoic patience and grace associated with the common people...he captures in their postures and lineaments their distinctive ethos and culture...not by physiognomy or costume alone are they differentiated, but in their total bearing and presence.' (E. Alkazi, M. F. Husain The Modern Artist and Tradition, New Delhi, 1978, p. 22).

The current lot is clearly influenced by the Indian Rajput miniature tradition, in particular the group of works known as Ragamalas, visual interpretations of musical modes, that are themselves linked to the seasons, including the harvest season. Raga Sri, originally named after the goddess Lakshmi, was originally associated with the fortunes of the harvest. The raga is visualized in numerous ways in the classical painting tradition, but is frequently represented by  pastoral scenes and by portraits of beautifully decked and bejeweled royal women. In the current work titled Harvest Ritual, Husain reinterprets the Rajput tradition to create a modern version of the series that he reworks in several earlier paintings including Holi, 1961 and Rajput Wedding, 1963. 

'Behind every stroke of the artist's brush is a vast hinterland of traditional concepts, forms, meanings.  His vision is never uniquely his own; it is a new perspective given to the collective experience of his race.  It is in this fundamental sense that we speak of Husain being in the authentic tradition of Indian Art.  He has been unique in his ability to forge a pictorial language, which is indisputably of the contemporary Indian situation but surcharged with all the energies, the rhythms of his art heritage.' (E. Alkazi, M. F. Husain, The Modern Artist and Tradition, New Delhi, 1978, p. 3).