AKC Rajput Painting

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 15

Rajput Painting

Author(s): A. K. C.
Source: Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin, Vol. 16, No. 96 (Aug., 1918), pp. 49-62
Published by: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4169664
Accessed: 17-09-2016 14:21 UTC

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted
digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about
JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
http://about.jstor.org/terms

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to
Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN XVI, 49

I,-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~,

Fig. 1. Cowdust Pahari, Kangra, eighteenth century, unfinished


Ross-Coomaraswamy Collection

RAJPUT PAINTING

I. Introduction Nepal, and a few frescoes in Ceylon. There is


not, however, the least doubt that the art was
W HILE Mughal painting, as pointed out incontinuously
a practiced -on a large scale upon
AV 'previous number of the Bulletin,* represents plastered walls, and on a small scale on wooden
merely a brilliant episode in the history of Indian panels and on cotton cloth, afterwards also on
art, and, in its realistic and secular preoccupationspaper. It is precisely in Rajputana and the
and personal interests, is remote from Hindu feeling,Himalayas - comparatively inaccessible to Mughal
the painting known as Rajput, that is to say, the domination, and even to this day intensely conser-
essentially Hindu art of Rajputana and the Panjab vative - that the older traditions of painting best
Himalayas, had deep roots in the permanent ground survived, not only in the sixteenth and seventeenth
of epic tradition, devotional faiths and the common life.
centuries, but even up to the end of the eighteenth
The tradition of Indian painting, illustrated century,
by comparatively little affected by the Persian
extant examples, covers a period of over two thou- and European influences which enter so largely into
sand years, and even this does not by any means the art of the Mughal courts.
take us back to its real beginnings. In the actualAn absolute continuity of subject matter is not,
record there are many gaps, the greatest hiatus of course, to be expected, for we must take into
extending from the art of Ajanta (seventh century account the decline of Buddhism, which provided
A. D.) to the Jaina manuscripts of the fifteenth cen- the themes for all the painting of Ajanta. But the
tury, which are the earliest known Indian paintings subjects taken from the epics, and many of the
on paper; this interval is bridged only by a few Vaishnava and Saiva th^-mes are identical with
Buddhist paintings, mainly in manuscripts from those of the lost paintings of a thousand years earlier,
* No. 93, for January, 1918. the former existence of which is indicated in the

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
XVI, 50 MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN

literature, or paralleled in still outline,


extant and works in this The
sculpture. state have remarkable
actual themes of Rajput painting
charm:will
a goodbe dealt
example with
(Pahari, Kangra, eighteenth
at greater length in subsequent articles.
century) It inmay
is illustrated be
the accompanying figure (1),
remarked here, however, that Rajput
representing thepainting is
Hour of Cowdust.
This unfinished
both essentially and formally religious. work, together with those of
It interprets
every experience of human life in the
an earlier date sense
reproducedof in a
the following pages,
spiritual drama. It is an art ofexhibits ideasthe salient
and of characteristics
feel- of the Rajput
ing: and in this respect it contrasts style. It ismost
essentially an art of outlines like the
markedly
with the work of Persian and Mughal painting of aartists,
Greek vase:which
its affinities are with
is almost exclusively preoccupied with secular Ajanta, with Early Asiatic and the AEgean, rather
themes, and in the latter case, with portraiture. than with the contemporary Mughal art of repre-
There exists, moreover, the closest relaticnshipsentation. Free strokes of the brush with aston-
between the Rajput paintings and the contemporary ishing mastery carry down in a single movement
vernacular poetry (in Hindi): and while in a fewthe lines of drapery flowing from head to foot,
cases the works deriving from the epics, and those outline the features, or follow the whole contour of
of a conspicuously hieratic type, are inscribed with the body - and by contrast with this and with the
pure and brilliant color which fills the spaces thus
the Sanskrit texts they illustrate, in many more cases,
-particularly in illustrations of Ragmalas, the Eightdelimited, Mughal painting is almost to be described
Nayakas, and other stock subjects - the back ofas an art of stippling. When the Rajput drawing
the picture, sometimes the picture itself, carries the
is enlarged by projection to many times its original
corresponding Hindi inscription. The pictures shouldsize it exhibits without any loss of intimacy a
not on this account be regarded as belonging to boldness and a simplicity which mark its derivation
illustrated manuscripts or as book illustrations in the from a school of mural decoration, and show the
Persian sense: they are rather portfolio pictures, identity of style which subsists as between the
often indeed painted in series of a considerable smallest Rajput work and the large, almost life-size
number dealing with one theme, but not to be cartoons, which in the eighteenth century were
described or catalogued as manuscripts. Those still prepared for use in the decoration of wall
which are not directly executed on walls, but on surfaces.
paper on a small scale, would usually be wrapped The surviving Rajput paintings range in date
from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.
in a cotton cover and stored in a box: these pictures
are intended to be held in the hand, and not for Geographically they are divided as Rajasthani
hanging in frames upon walls. (from Rajputana) and Pahari (from the Panjab
The names of the artists are almost unknown, hills). In the sixteenth century there is not a
and the paintings are only in the rarest instancesmarked divergence of style between these areas:
signed or dated; the Museum possesses one the consolidation of the Mughal empire, however,
Rajasthani example signed by the painter Natthu, gradually divided the Rajputs of the hills from
and dated Samvat 1 75 1 (1 694 A. D.). those of the plains more and more effectively, and
The technique employed is closely related to in the hills particularly Rajput painting pursues a
that of ancient and modern Indian " fresco," whichsomewhat independent course, maintaining a hifh
is actually a process of tempera painting rather thandegree of excellence up to the close of the eighteenth
pure fresco. In any case, the painter, whether on acentury. At the same time Mughal influences crn
wall or on paper, makes a preliminary sketch, usuallybe recognized in much of the later work, especially
in red, or transfers an already prepared design, prickedthe Pahari and Sikh portraiture, and in a modifica-
with holes for use as a stencil, by pouncing. Thesetion of the strong colors of the primitives. Scarcely
outlines, forming the underdrawing which in the anything of importance has been produced since
finished work alone marks the original surface, are1825. The principal centre of the Rajasthani
then overlaid with a thin white priming, throughwork, it should be mentioned, has been at Jaipur:
which they show faintly. Very often the hand- of Pahari production, in Jammu (a provincial style,
made paper employed has a rough surface, but therather exaggerated in its physical types and hot in
better sorts are " burnished like glass" before the color) and Kangra (a very cultivated school, dainty
painter sets to work on them. In any case, how- alike in drawing and color). With the Kangra
ever, the white priming affords a very smooth surface group are to be classed the late productions of
for the finer brush outline with which the artist nowGarhwal, of which some are attributed to a painter
redraws the whole composition, often correcting orby the name of Mola Ram, who died in 1833.
departing more or less widely from the original lines.
When everything has been drawn that is to appear 11. The Musical Modes
in the finished picture, the coloring is begun: first A favorite subject of Rajasthani painters is a
the background, then the buildings, and always set of illustrations to the thirty-six Ragas and
last of all, the human or animal figures. A high Raginis, forming a Ragmala, a designation which
proportion of Pahari drawings is met with in theapplies in the first instance to a "garland" of
unfinished state, either entirely uncolored, or withpoems describing the Ragas and Raginis; and
the background colored, leaving the figures still inthese poems are often inscribed upon the actual

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN XVI, 51

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~M P.\;4-
-V..t . : , - - t '4,t',5, '" '

E;?w

i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~- '4 v

;F* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X ;_Fm


'2E~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

's_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1

Fiu. 2. Madhu-Vfadhavi Ragin. Rajasilhari, sixteenth century


Ross Collection

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
XVI, 52 MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN

pictures. Broadly speaking, the feeding Raga a is peacock: the sky is heavily overcast.
equivalent
to the musical mode of European According
andtoparticularly
the poem superscribed a beautiful
of old Greek and ecclesiastical terminology, woman has come from the palace and stands in
inas-
much as it represents a selection theof garden:
not"Heavy
more black
thanclouds are gathering
seven notes, ranging over the scale and never auspiciously, the sweet, sweet rumbling of thunder
departed from in any one song or composition; is heard, and flashes of lightning light up the
but the Raga is actually somewhat further deter- sky. . . . Eagerly she waits for her beloved, with
mined by characteristic progressions, and is more her body like an open flower, and because she
accurately translated by " melody-mould." The thinks of her lord's embrace there is joy in her
Ragini is merely an abridgment or modification of heart."
a Raga. The Ragmala usually describes six The second, by the same hand and from the
Ragas, each with five Raginis. It may be added same series, is Ragini Vibhasa (" Bnrlliance" or
that the Ragas and Raginis are personified as " Splendor"), and represents Kamadeva (the Indian
musical angels with family relationships, and these Eros) fitting an arrow to his bow, which he aims
at his wife Rati, the Indian Psyche, who is sleeping
musical genii are implicitly, if not explicitly, invoked
by the artist at every performance. on the palace terrace. The theme is the "Return
The most important fact to be observed in of Love " with the coming of the rains. According
studying the Ragmala pictures is that, precisely to as the Hindi poem superscribed, "The monsoon
the old Greek mode was felt to possess a charac- clouds have brought in desire, and their glory has
teristic and definite ethos, so from the Indian pointfilled the eye. Love has set an arrow to his bow,
of view the Raga is expressed and recognized as and Delight is considering the battle in her heart.
clearly in and by its mood as by the strictly musical . . . Hearing all the tale unfolded by Love, she
definition. Each Raga and Ragini is associated gazed with swimming eyes, and from head to foot
with a particular hour of the day or night and with she was filled with longing."
particular seasons or phenomena; there are modes Another group of early Rajasthani Ragmala
and moods of noon and midnight, of the spring pictures in the Museum collection includes fifteen
and of the autumn rains. Most of these moods areexamples by one hand and from one series. These
connected with love, in the various phases of expe- are distinguished alike by very brilliant coloring and
nence recognized by Hindu rhetoric, with more crby daring draughtsmanship. Here the esprit of
less mystical implications. It will be readily appar-Indian rhetoric finds a vigorous and powerful ex-
ent from all this that, without of course adding pression, not only without any sentimentality, but
anything to the music as such, a picture may with a savage and daring force that is clearly
embody the same mood that the music expressesdistinguishable from the tenderness which is so
and so in a sense interpret the music to those whocharacteristic of much of the later Rajput art of
are not primarily musical; and this interpretation is
the hills.
assisted by the representation of the characteristic These sixteenth century Rajasthani Raginis
associations of the hour or the weather and the possess an importance quite apart from that of their
relationships of the human actors. But though thetheme or emotional content and decorative charm.
modern student may avail himself of the pictures inThey represent the primitives of Rajput painting as
this way as the concert-goer reads his program, itwe know it, and throw a light on the origins of the
was not for this purpose they were designed. technique, which, so far as the drawing goes, it
Where they were made an understanding a has already been pointed out very closely repeats
musical understanding, that is - of the music was
the methods of classic Indian painting at Ajanta.
taken for granted. We can only say that these The dominant colors are red, yellow, black, and
modes or moods, in whichever way we regard dark green, and this tonality is strongly reminiscent
them, were favorite themes in Rajput painting, par-of the rather hot coloring of much of the work at
ticularly in the Rajasthani group, and form the Ajanta. Everything is in the highest degree con-
subject for many of the finest works. Amongst ventionalized, and there is not the least research of
Pahari paintings they occur only in the Jammu verisimilitude, and only the slightest traces of
group, and Kangra does not afford a single example. modelling. On the whole these early Raginis are
Those from Jammu generally illustrate Ragmalas to be regarded as the most important, and with the
with more than thirty-six members, and are briefly exception of the large cartoons, as by far the purest
inscribed in Takri characters without the quotation in idiom of all Rajput productions. If it were
of whole verses. possible to make use of the term decadence with-
The two Raginis reproduced in Figs. 2 and 3 out disparagement, one might say that we see here
are amongst the most important of the Rajput examples of the decadence of Ajanta painting
paintings in the Museum. Equally in drawing and after a thousand years; but these are rasher brilliant
tender color they are adequate to the ideas in- retardataires than decadents - they combine ex-
tended to be expressed, and characteristically treme conventionality with an almost disconcerting
Indian. vitality. Their summary methods are carried even
The first is Madhu-Madhavi (" Honey Flower"). further in the circular playing cards' which are still,
A lady with her maids stands in the palace garden * R4jpt Patntinua, PI. LXXVI, a and b.

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN XVI, 53

3- -
- ~
i- -

k~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fig. 3. Vibhasa Ragini Rajasthani, sixteenth century


Ross Collection

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
XVI, 54 MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN

Fig. 4. Todi Ragini Rajasthani, sixteenth century


Ross-Coomnaraswamy Collection

I believe, made in Rajputana, and in the


It will illustra-
be noticed that in all cases the sky is dark by
tions accompanying a royal horoscope, - that
convention; whereofnight
a scenes are represented the
Maharaja of Bikanir (Sri Ratan Singh darknessBahadur),
of the sky extends to the foreground; in
dated equivalent to 1838 A.D., -in the Museum day scenes it is limited by the horizon. In many
collection. There the stylization is carried to the of the pictures tL ere is representation of heavy
furthest conceivable limit, and no more summaryclouds with lightning and falling rain.
formulwe for human features could be imagined; The Museum also possesses four Rajasthani
but even there there is no loss of vigor. Raga pictures from one hand and series of the
Of the five illustrations accompanying these notes,seventeenth century, similar in style to the two
Ragini Todi, a day scene, shows a woman with a examples first referred to in this article, though not
vina, standing in a grove of trees: a black buck so fine, and similar to those in the British Museum
and a fawn are attracted by the music (this is oftenMS., Or. 282 1. Some of the pictures in this
made a symbol of the soul of man ensnared by theseries are of special interest on account of their
pleasures of love), and the buck is eating grass fromsympathetic and distinguished rendering of Rajput
the woman's hand (Fig. 4). Ragini Kedara ("from civil architecture: this is true of the example illus-
Kedar," in the Himalayas), a night scene, shows an trated in Fig. 8, showing a lady performing Brahma
ascetic seated on a deerskin at the door of his cell, Puja, and representing Khambavati or Khamaj
listening to a male musician who is playing the vina: Ragini. The Museum possesses another seven-
here the architecture, reminiscent of vlihara con- teenth century example of the same Ragini repre-
struction, is especially characteristic and interestingsented in the same manner. A picture of Ragini
(Fig. 5). Ragini Patamanjari, a night scene, showsAsavari shows as usual a lady seated playing the
the heroine seated in conversation with the mes- bin or nagasara, with many cobras attracted by
senger, who is doubtless pleading the lover's cause the music, deserting the sandal trees, their favorite
(Fig. 6). Ragini Lalita, " amorous," a day scene, haunt, and as the inscribed poem remarks, " writhing
shows the hero, with a somewhat truculent expres-and fawning" on the musician.
sion, hastening home to his sleeping lady (Fig. 7). Two other pictures from another series, by

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN XVI, 55

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~a P ti e
L::,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0

* - b y~~~~~

_ | : E~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'IE

ba
lz

5~~~~~~~~~tw 1t'-#ifit>]

~~~~.t

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
XVI, 56 MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN

06

0
0

05-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

JK1)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 00~~~~~~~~~~~A

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN XVI, 57

Fig. 9. Gujari Ragini Pahari, Jammu, eighteenth century


Ross-Coomaraswamy Collection

another hand, represent Bhairava Mughal Raga example of this kind, based on an original
and Varanr
Ragini; these exhibit a very unusual Rajputcolor
representation
scheme of Ragini Todi is illustrated
in which deep blue predominatesinand Fig. 10, while
gold is another,
con- based on Bhairavi,
spicuous, and are to be regarded as Mughal representing Sivapuja - ladies worshipping the
rather than Rajput paintings. The architectureLingam at a Saiva shrine at night - is shown in
is represented as decorated with color, in the Fig. 1 1.
manner very usual in Mughal building, especially
III. The School of Jammu
in the time of Shah Jahan. These two examples,
by exception, have short inscriptions in Persian Jammu is one of the largest of the northem group
characters. of Himalayan Rajput hill states, and gives its name
Raga pictures from Jammu exhibit the usual to a provincial school of Pahari painting which even
characteristics of this provincial school. Ragini in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries preserves
Gujari is represented by a woman seated in a to a large degree the hot color and forcible drawing
field fondling two black bucks, while another woman which we have remarked to be characteristic of the
is playing the vina (Fig. 9). The motif is here sixteenth century Rajasthani primitives. With
not very different from that of Todi Ragini in the Jammu are to be associated Basoli, Kishtwar,
Rajasthani example. The inscription speaks of Chamba and other kingdoms of independent Rajput
Gujari Ragini as the wife of Dipak Raga. Another chiefs lying outside the main areas of Mughal
example illustrates a Raga not identified but related influence.
to Dipak (the mode of " Fire "), and shows a male Of this school the Museum possesses important
figure with three flaming heads and four arms examples in a series of unusually large paintings and
riding on a white elephant. drawings on paper, illustrating episodes of the siege
Certain of the Raga subjects are occasionally of Lanka as related in the Lankakandam of the
adopted by Mughal painters and used as pic- Ramayana. The story of the Ramayana, one of
turesque motifs rather than to express those general the two great epics of India, may be briefly recap-
ideas which are characteristic of Rajput art. A itulated. Rama, as an avatar of Vishnu, took birth

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
XVI, 58 MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN

* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~7

Fig. 10 Todi Ragini Mughial, seventeenth century Fig. I/. Sivapuja (Bhairavi Ragini) Mughal,
seventeenthi century
Goloubew Collection

as the son of Dasaratha of Ayodhya, in order to In the picture reproduced (Fig. 1 2) we see the
accomplish the destruction of the demon king of armies of Rama investing the fortress of Lanka.
Lanka, Ravana. Rama's three brothers were Rama is seated upon the ground, which is red.
Lakshmana, Bharata, and Satrughna. He married Stormy clouds appear in the narrow strip of sky
Sita, daughter of Janaka. By the intrigues of his which is seen above the high horizon. The groves
mother-in-law he was banished for fourteen years, are filled with leaping monkeys and black bears
his brother Bharata meanwhile acting as regent. the subtly differentiated velvety blacks are particu-
Sita and Lakshmana accompanied him in exile, larly attractive. On the left the golden walls of
and these three led an idyllic life amongst the the fortress rise up into the sky; below the wall
hermitages of the Himalayan forests. Ravana, there is a garden of fruit trees, and in the foreground
however, carried off Sita while the brothers were the sea, full of strange monsters. Vibhishana is
pursuing a magic deer. The vulture Jatayu lost pointing to two captured rakshasa (demon) spies.
his life while endeavoring to rescue Sita as she wasAs M. Blochet lately remarked, "Cette peinture
borne through the air. Rama formed an alliance est evidemment la reproduction d'une fresque; c'est
with Hanuman, a leader of the monkeys, and une ceuvre tres puissante, digne de cette Iliade
received the aid of the hosts of the bears and d'Extreme Orient, dont les episodes emouvants
monkeys perhaps originally signifying the aborig-illustrent les murs du temple d'Angkor, dans un
inal tribes of southern India. Hanuman discovered style tout different." We recognize truly the
Sita in the Asoka grove of Ravana's palace gardens. characteristic aspect of a mural decoration the
A bridge was thrown across the sea ("Rama's descendant surely of just such an art as is
bridge" across the sea from southern India to Cey- spoken of in the Utlara Rama Charita Cf
lon, in fact, a series of coral reefs) and Rama and Bhavabhuti, where a whole scene in the first
Lakshmana, aided by Vibhishana, brother of Ravana, Act is occupied with a description of a series of
and by all the bears and monkeys, but especially Ramayana pictures painted on the walls of a
Hanuman, laid siege to Lanka, ultimately defeating quadrangle in the garden of Rama's palace at
and slaying Ravana and rescuing Sita, whose Ayodhya.
purity was attested by an ordeal. All returned to Other pictures in the series show the ten-headed
Ayodhya, where the coronation of Rama took Ravana within his city taking council with his
place, and Rama established a kingdom of justice followers; Sita in the Asoka garden, guarded by
and prospenrty. rakshasis (female demons); and battle scenes, in

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN XVI, 59

C,,

svi0; /

:-0l U :C .E
-:-R~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~i co'N ,.t-

11'.'. ' . z~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~u

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
XVI, 60 MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN

IIt
O

CZ

E
0
0
z U

_ C z~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~q

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN XVI, 61

- w ~~~~~~~I

Fig. 15. Radha and Krishna Pahari, Jammu,


seventeenth or eighteenth century

Ross-Coomaraswamy Collection

several uncolored drawings. Several of trated (Fig. 1 4), deeply felt, shows the devotee
the pictures
are inscribed at the back with extracts "1 taking
from the dust
theof the feet " of Narayana (Vishnu).
Valmiki Ramayana in Nagari characters, The latter,
and in accordance
in with Vaishnava conven-
several cases the drawings are annotated tion, is of abrief
with dark blue color -the same will be
noticed toscript
inscriptions in Takri character, the vernacular be the case with the figures of Rama in
of the Jammu hills. With the exception the of
Ramayana
certain pictures and of Krishna in other
Rajasthani cartoons, these are the largest Rajput paintings
Indian - and wears a yellow dholi and
paintings on paper extant. The Ragas and a garland of flowers: the four arms carry the usual
Raginis of the School of Jammu have already been attributes, mace, discus, conch, and lotus. The
referred to. ground is a brilliant red, and only a very narrow
The collections further include an incomplete strip of cloudy sky appears above the high horizon.
senes of sixteen small paintings with short inscrip- The identity of style with that of the Ramayana
tions and superscriptions in Takri character. The pictures will be obvious.
subjects are very varied, including representations The Krishna Lila, the themes of which will be
of gods, planets, and animals. Of the two examples discussed in subsequent articles mainly in connection
illustrated here the first (Fig. 1 3) -a picture of two with the school of Kangra, is also dealt with
deer fighting head to head under a tree is not only amongst the works of Jammu painters. An example
of remarkable charm of design and distinguished is illustrated in Fig. 1 5, representing Radha offering
execution, but of interest as reproducing a motif betel to Krishna, who is leaning towards her and
which occurs already several centuries earlier in a stands upon a full-blown lotus, the latter a hieratic
page of the Morgan manuscript of the Manafi-al motif somewhat realistically treated. The archaistic
Hayawan (Arabian, A. D. 1295), where it is to rendering of the fluttering muslin drapery will be
be associated with other Indian elements appearing remarked. It will also be observed how intently
in early Arabic illustration. The coloring is rich each is gazing at the other. It should be remem-
without being brilliant. The second picture illus- bered that in this tradition sacred and profane love

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
XVI, 62 MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BULLETIN

Fig. 16. Raja of Bandralta Pahari, seventeenth century


Ross-Coomaraswamy Collection

are treated as phases of one and the same expe- small proportion of portraits, showing Mughal
rience -an intuition of identity. The meeting of influence, but having a vigorous local character.
eyes is a motif constantly met with in Rajput painting; A very distinguished example is illustrated in
in Indian rhetoric " love at first sight" is summarily Fig. 16, representing a Raja of Bandralta, one
spoken of as charchasm (the meeting of four eyes). of the smaller Himalayan Rajput states in the
Romantic and decorative subjects are also found, Jammu district. The inscription reads: Raja
a characteristic example representing a lady wring- Hataf Bandral. A. K. C.
ing the water from her hair after her bath. But
even pictures such as this have generally a tradi- THE VACATION STORY-HOURS for children,
tional association of ideas of more significance than provided by the liberality of a friend of the Museum
their traditional theme. In Buddhist art this subject and carried on under the supervision of the School
might represent the goddess of Earth wringing from Committee of the city and of the Boston Social
her hair the water of merit when called upon by Union, were resumed July 1, and will continue daily
the Buddha as his witness; in Rajput art it is during August. The children are brought in special
usually Radha, whose beauty touches Krishna's cars from various settlement houses and public play-
heart as he oversees her at her bath, when she grounds, and spend about an hour and a half in the
wrings from her heavy tresses a "river of pearls." Museum under guidance. They first hear an illus-
We also meet with sets of pictures illustrating the trated talk in the Lecture Hall, then are to,ken to the
Eight Nayakas, or Heroines in Typical Situations: galleries to see some of the objects mentioned, and
the collection includes a striking Abhisarika of early after returning to the hall and talking over what they
seventeenth century date, in very strong colors, have seen, are dismissed, each with a post card of
representing a lady who has fearlessly braved thesome object spoken of. It is noteworthy that the
dangers of a dark and stormy night, and stands on interest excited by the excursions, especially among
the threshold of her lover's chamber, he lifting up children from the most congested districts of the
his hands in amazement. city, suffices to bring some of them again on foot
Paintings of the Jammu School also include a when it is not their turn to come in the cars.

This content downloaded from 106.198.4.217 on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 14:21:27 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

You might also like