Meeting at a Calamitous Moment from a Rasikapriya of Keshav Das

Object Details

• Court

  Mewar Court

• School/Tradition

  Rajput school

• Label

  The inscription along the top of the painting is from the fifth chapter of the Rasikapriya, a Hindi text in the genre of riti or courtly love poetry, compiled by Keshav Das who lived between 1555-1617. The text contains extensive taxonomies of heroes and heroines, of lovers meeting and quarrels, and the role of go-between. While the verses generally relate to Rajput courtly life, on occasion poet Keshav Das used god Krishna and his beloved Radha--India's quintessential lovers--to illustrate a love situation.

  The scene represents atibhaya milana, or the meeting of lovers at a calamitous moment. Above, deep within a palace complex on fire, the heroine lies asleep on a bed as Krishna embraces her. The flames indicate danger, but also provide a metaphor for the passion of the lovers. In the outer courtyards and along the palace walls, servants attempt to douse the flames with pots of water. Text describing the scene is at the top.

• Provenance

  1960

  Sri Motichand Khajanchi, Bikaner, India, in 1960 [1]

  From 1961 to 1972

  Stuart Cary Welch, Warner, NH, from 1961 [2]

  From 1972 to 1998

  R.E. Lewis, Belvedere, CA, purchased at auction, Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Sotheby's, London, December 12, 1972, lot no. 87 [3]

  From 1998

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from R.E. Lewis in 1998

  Notes:

  [1] According to Curatorial Note 5, Milo C. Beach, November 1998, in the object record.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See note 1. Also, Curatorial Note 5, Milo C. Beach, November 1998, in the object record indicates that a private collector in California might have owned the object for a period, having purchased it from R.E. Lewis at some point before R.E. Lewis eventually sold the object to the Freer Gallery of Art.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Body Image (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Untitled Exhibition, Fogg Art Museum (1962)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Sri Moti Chand Khajanchi

  Stuart Cary Welch (1928-2008)

  R. E. Lewis, Inc. (active 1952-1999)

• Origin

  Udaipur, Rajasthan state, Mewar, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• On View

  Freer Gallery 01: Body Image: Arts of the Indian Subcontinent

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1500s, 1900s

• Name

  Khajanchi, Moti Chand, R. E. Lewis, Inc., Welch, Stuart Cary

• Place

  Udaipur, Rajasthan state, Mewar, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Sisodia dynasty (861 - 1947), Rasikapriya

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings

• On View

  Yes