TWO INDIAN PAINTINGS: DURGA SLAYING THE WHITE DIV AND KRISHNA AND BALRAM PLAYING
Mandi, Pahari Hills, Himachal Pradesh, Northern India, late 18th - 19th century

Opaque pigments and ink heightened with gold on paper, comprising a horizontal-format composition depicting the Hindu Warrior Goddess, Durga, charging her tiger against the white div raising the sword against her, giving him a mortal blow with a long trident spear, a red div lying unconscious on the floor, on the right another Hindu Mahavidya, Kali, the Goddess of Death, possibly the illustration once part of a Devi Mahatmya series, set within black and white rules, and bright red borders, 18.5cm x 24cm; and a vertical-format composition portraying a tender moment between Krishna and his brother, Balram, playing a form of polo with a ball and a stick each, their foreheads marked with tilakas and the lotus crown symbolising their higher status, set within red and white rules, and bright red borders, 19.2cm x 14cm.