EIGHT LOOSE ILLUSTRATIONS TO A BIHARI SATSAI SERIES: THE GREAT ROMANCE OF RADHA AND KRISHNA
Garhwal, Pahari School, Punjab Hills, Northern India, first half 19th century

Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, comprising eight individual illustrations to a Pahari Bihari Satsai series showcasing moments of devotion (bhakti), moral duties (neeti), and passionate love (shringara) in the unfolding romance between Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha, from courtship to tender embraces, from scolding to peace-making, each illustration acting as a compelling visual reminder of this couple's tumultuous yet gripping and fulfilling relationship, the protagonists at times accompanied by other female attendants occupied in a number of activities like washing lota vessels, plucking flowers to make garlands, carrying goods, or providing heartfelt advice to the main heroine, all illustrations set in a verdant, lush natural landscape with blossoming trees, within white rules and typical Pahari-style concentric decorative borders including one with two-tone floral sprays on a black ground and another on bright red ground, the folios between 16.8cm x 23.5cm and 16.2cm x 26cm, respectively 28cm x 34.5cm and 29cm x 38.5cm including the frames.