AN ILLUSTRATION FROM THE SUR SAGAR OF SURDAS

Good and stable overall condition with slight wear to edges of red folio border. Rubbing to gold pigments on the skirt of the lady seated at middle right and sashes of men seated at lower left. Tiny areas of loss to pigment on hair of lady seated at middle right, chest of bearded figure at lower left and one end of the bolster on which he is leaning. Some rubbing and stains to green ground at center and at lower right and possible retouching to left side of brown ground at middle. Greens, reds and oranges are slightly deeper in reality.
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.

The youthful Krishna sitting cross-legged among the women of Brindavan, who gesture animatedly before a verdigris hillock.  His somewhat older friends, the gopas, return a herd of cows to the village during the “hour of cow dust” as the evening sets in and the moon begins to rise. In the lower third of the composition Nanda converses with two nobles as the blind poet Surdas, at lower right, chants his narration of the episode holding cymbals and a rosary.

The 15th century blind poet and musician Surdas wrote the Sur Sagar “the Ocean of Melody” in bhakti devotion to Krishna with perhaps 8000 verses extant.  He chants:

“Our eyes thirst for a vision of Hari...

they long to see the lotus-eyed one...

and dwelling in Vrindavan

He gave us his love...”

Of further note the right-hand nobleman dressed in a green jama and sisodia pagri  in the lower section bears striking resemblance to the youthful Maharana Amar Singh II (r. 1698-1710) of Mewar. His sharp profile with distinctive mustache swept back laterally across the chin then turned down, is unmistakable.  He was an avid supporter of the arts and painting in the royal Udaipur workshops was revitalized under his patronage.  He has placed himself here, as donors sometimes do, in the context of a sacred devotional scene.

Refer to B.N. Goswamy and C. Smith, Domains of Wonder, San Diego, 2005, cat. 19, pp. 68-69.