An illustration to a Jaatmala Series: Halwain (Wife of the Sweet Maker), India, Bundelkhand, 18th century

gouache on paper, reverse with three lines of text in Devanagari script

In generally good overall condition, some stains and areas of paint flaking, minor worm holes, colours bright, as viewed,
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The illustration belongs to a series previously defined as a set of Ragamalas from Malapura. However, recent research identifies these as Jaatmala or Jaatbhed paintings depicting women engaged in a variety of occupations. The eminent Hindi poet Dev is known to have composed couplets describing working women of different castes. These verses subsequently underwent regional modifications and were eventually represented in pictorial form by artists in Bundelkhand in the eighteenth century. For other works from the same series see Sotheby’s New York, September 15, 2011, lot 81 and Sotheby’s London, October 8, 2014, lot 282.

Paintings from this series are typically composed in three registers: the upper register depicting Krishna, the middle register with a series of figures engaged in an activity, and the lower register bearing a landscape with rocks. The present image depicts Halwain, wife of the sweet maker. The Devanagari couplet on the verso describes how she attracts passersby with her dazzling smile and then skillfully divests them of their money and sells them her sweets. On the far right we see the Halwai or sweet maker stirring his pot over a clay oven while his wife Halwain sits at center with her trays of sweetmeats and serves customers.