AN ILLUSTRATION TO A BHAGAVATA PURANA SERIES: LORD KRISHNA AT THE TEMPLE BEING ANOINTED
Provincial Mughal School, possibly Bikaner, Rajasthan, North-Western India, 18th century and later

Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper laid on thick cardboard, the large vertical composition to be considered a partner scene to the previous lot, depicting a chronological sequence of events, starting at the top with Krishna and Baladeva's visit to the temple and meeting with the local tilkayat (head priest), following this in the foreground, Krishna's anointment and his first meeting with Radha under the strict supervision of Baladeva, the temple compound decorated with lush gilt floral scrollwork and geometric motifs in line with Northern Indian architecture, the scene set within polychrome-painted and gilt album page borders featuring stylised floral sprays on a light blue ground, mounted on a modern brick red cardboard panel, 42.5cm x 34cm including the borders.

Provenance: Purchased from a private collector who previously acquired the painting at Phillip's London, 31 July 1985.

The painting was also previously offered at Christie's South Kensington (London), 22 April 2016, lot 531.