- 1137
TWO ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE PANCHATANTRA: THE ELEPHANT AND THE SPARROW AND ELEPHANTS WITH A TIGER AND A DEER IN A FOREST
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 USD
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Description
- TWO ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE PANCHATANTRA: THE ELEPHANT AND THE SPARROW AND ELEPHANTS WITH A TIGER AND A DEER IN A FOREST
- Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
- image: 9 by 7 1/8 in. (22.9 by 18.1 cm);
- folio: 10 1/4 by 8 1/4 in. (26 by 10.9 cm) and slightly smaller, [2], unframed, 1 illustrated
Condition
Illustrated lot: Very good overall condition with slight abrasions to yellow ground on lower middle left, clearly visible in catalog illustration. Yellow is slightly deeper and richer in reality.
Elephants with a Tiger and a Deer in a Forest: Fair and stable overall condition. Numerous abrasions to the landscape throughout but the multiple elephants are in good condition. Two holes on the upper and lower edges of red folio border with some loss to paper on the extreme upper margin.
Exhibited in a temporary frame.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Panchatantra in Sanskrit translates to “five tantric principles” and refers here to a compendium of animal fables presented as morality tales. In the present illustration a bull elephant (depicted three times simultaneously) becomes enraged by the summer's heat and crashes madly into a giant tree holding the nest of a sparrow, breaking her eggs. Mournfully the bird enlists the aid of other forest creatures to avenge her children. Ultimately the guilty elephant is driven blind by them and tricked into mistaking a mud-filled pit for a cooling pool of water, which he stumbles in and becomes trapped and drowns.
For a relatable similarly composed Mewar illustration from A Book of Dreams refer to B.N. Goswamy and C. Smith, Domains of Wonder, San Diego, 2005, cat. 31(and cover illustration), pp. 92-9.
The second superbly-rendered illustration in this lot pictures a herd of elephants with a tiger and a goat, no doubt depicting another animal fable.