TWO SCENES OF WORSHIP TO THE MURTI OF SHRINATHJI
Jodhpur or Nathdwara, Rajasthan, North-Western India, late 19th - early 20th century

Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, comprising a crowded puja scene with a white-clad ruler offering paan (betel leaves) to a gold icon of Shrinathji, the processional palanquin held in front of the gate of a Rajput fort flanked by two elephants with courtly mahouts, in the foreground a line of devotees and white cows all marked with the hand of the God, a symbol of his constant presence, set within bold red borders, backed in wasli paper with black ink annotations, 40.6cm x 31cm; and a similar more intimate composition, with a tilkayat (head priest) officiating a ritual to the murti of Shrinathji assisted by his disciple, next to the priest a Rajput ruler paying respects to the icon, in the foreground several priests, brahmins and disciples of the temple depicted at work performing daily activities to maintain the purity of the temple and the well-being of its icon, set within red borders, backed in wasli paper, 41cm x 31cm.