A SQUARE PATTACHITRA PAINTING FROM THE VAISHNAVA KRISHNA LILA SERIES
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE GERMAN COLLECTION
Puri, Odisha (Orissa), Eastern India, late 19th - early 20th century

Opaque ground plant and mineral pigments on cotton cloths joint with a coat of chalk and gum made from a paste of crushed tamarind seeds (niryas kalpa), the large square composition depicting the Hindu Vaishnava cycle of the Krishna Lila, the enactment of Jagannath as Lord Krishna displaying his powers as a child, the mythical illustrations arranged in a central floral mandala composition with lobed petals filled with figural decorations, and several circular medallions surrounding the central panel, at the heart of the composition Krishna playing the flute with Radha hugging him, the couple surrounded by several gopis, the petals of the mandala filled with more figural decoration of Krishna, his deeds and the gopis, the whole intricate composition encased within concentric rectangular decorative frames featuring black stylised geometric motifs on a yellow ground; a lobed red band on a pink ground; and yellow vegetal scrollwork with white flowers on a green ground, mounted, glazed and framed, 87cm x 87cm.

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.