AN ILLUSTRATION TO THE RASAMANJARI OF BHANU DATTA: A NAYIKA AND HER SAKHI ATTRIBUTED TO GOLU

In very good overall condition with very slight abrasions to pigments on the dress of the lady seated at left and on her forehead and veil. A tiny pinhole to the upper margin of the folio border visible in catalog illustration. Inscription in Devanagari on verso. 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.

The Rasamanjari of the poet Bhanu Datta is a lyrical work in Sanskrit categorizing various types of lovers and records the psychological interactions between nayakas (heros)and nayikas (heroines)and sakhis (confidantes) offering advice.

A nayika speaking with her sakhi. They sit on a green and yellow carpet as the sakhi gestures animatedly smiling with understanding.  The brilliant white interior wall of the central small pavilion in stark counterpoint with the night outdoors creating a superbly composed abstracted-geometric interplay of light and darkness.  

The manner of Nurpur paintings in the early years of the Eighteenth Century is a style displaying clear elements of the older emotionally-charged and expressive Basohli style (usually in pothi horizontal format) gradually mixing with a newer more refined and naturalistic Mughalized manner which was quickly becoming fashionable at Guler, a new style which would come to dominate painting in the Punjab Hills throughout the Eighteenth Century.  Thus Nurpur paintings of this period, as reflected by our two present paintings by Golu the principal artist of the Nurpur studio, may be viewed as a transitional or linking style between the older expressive Basohli and newer refined Guler manner,  containing elements of both traditions.