A PAINTING OF GANESHA AND SARASVATI

MANDI, 1760-80

MANDI, 1760-80
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; inscribed in Takri in upper border: Sri ganesaye namah / sri sarda ji fa[gun] pra[vishte] likhi sakji; translated, "Adoration to Lord Ganesha! Goddess Sharada, [painting] written by Sakji on the first day of the Falgun Month."
Image: 9 3/8 x 14 5/8 in. (24.3 x 35.8 cm);
Folio: 11 3/8 x 16 3/4 in. (29.4 x 40.9 cm)

The two benevolent deities face each other underneath golden and bejeweled parasols. Ganesha, holds his typical attributes: the elephant goad, axe, rosary, and tray of laddu, while Sarasvati faces him with her hands joined together in respect, holding a lotus and a stringed vina in the crook of her elbow. Ganesha and Sarasvati's respective vehicles, a rat and a goose, rest beside them on a striped rug. The two deities are frequently depicted together on the first page of a series or manuscript.

This painting was most likely produced in the second half of Raja Shamsher Sen of Mandi's reign (1727-81), which often presents a softer style than earlier works. The facial features closely resemble two paintings dated 1770-80 by Archer that have close relations to Mandi and Guler (Archer, Indian Painting from the Punjab Hills, 1973, Mandi 33 & 34). Eccentric striped rugs like this one seem especially popular in paintings of this period (ibid., Mandi 30, 32 & 36-8).

Provenance:
Mandi Royal Collection
Private European Collection acquired 1969
Rob Dean Art, London, November 2013