A PATTACHITRA PAINTING WITH KRISHNA PLAYING THE FLUTE
Puri, Odisha (Orissa), Eastern India, early 20th century

Opaque ground plant and mineral pigments on cotton cloths, joined with a coat of chalk and gum made from a paste of crushed tamarind seeds (niryas kalpa), the horizontal composition depicting three shrines dedicated to the worship of the blue-skinned Hindu god Krishna, in the central shrine Krishna playing the flute flanked by two gopis, each character standing on a lotus pedestal underneath a polylobed arch with makara terminals, the two lateral shrines with Krishna’s birth and foster mothers, Devaki and Yashoda, the composition featuring a variety of auspicious animals, birds, mythical creatures and winged apsaras, set within concentric decorative borders with stylised fretwork bands, vegetal scrolls and abstract geometric motifs, 43cm x 48cm.

Pattachitra compositions are usually painted with hand-mulled paints from readily available plant and mineral pigments, such as chalk or ground shell white, indigo, red lead, Indian yellow, and charcoal-based black. Their folk quality made them beloved souvenirs not only for Hindu pilgrims but also Western officials and travellers, whose presence in India increased dramatically in the 19th century. The fact these paintings were readily available outside temple complexes played an important role in their distribution and in attracting the interest of European buyers, who often sent them back to the West as 'exotic' tokens. For further reference, please see https://www.uwa.edu.au/lwag/exhibitions/expressions-of-india/pattachitra.