This painting belongs to a series illustrating the Rasamanjari (Essence of the Experience of Delight), a fifteenth-century Sanskrit love poem by Bhanudatta devoted to the expression and classification of the moods and emotions of the nayaka ( hero-lover) and nayika ( heroine-loved). It originated in the first treatise on dramatic arts, Bharata’s Natyashastra. In this highly charged scene, enlivened by bold coloring and spatial ambiguities, Parvati is pleading with her husband, Shiva, who has just cheated her out of a necklace in a game of chaupar. The symbolic use of color and gesture is a signature feature of the Basohli school of this period.
#7982. Shiva and Parvati Playing Chaupar: Folio from a Rasamanjari Series
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Artwork Details
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Title:Shiva and Parvati Playing Chaupar: Folio from a Rasamanjari Series
Artist:Devidasa of Nurpur (active ca. 1680–ca. 1720)
Date:dated 1694–95
Culture:India (Basohli, Jammu)
Medium:Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
Dimensions:Image: 6 1/2 x 10 7/8 in. (16.5 x 27.6 cm) Sheet: 8 x 12 1/4 in. (20.3 x 31.1 cm) Framed: 15 5/8 x 20 1/2 in. (39.7 x 52.1 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Gift of Dr. J. C. Burnett, 1957
Object Number:57.185.2
Inscription: Inscribed on reverse (Sanskrit?)
Probably in collection of Cora Timken Burnett , Alpine, New Jersey (until d. 1956; bequeathed to husband);; Dr. John Clawson Burnett , Alpine, New Jersey (until 1957, donated to MMA)
Zurich. Museum Rietberg. "Pahari Masters," June 23, 1990–October 21, 1990.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Selections for the Opening of The Florence and Herbert Irving Galleries," 1994.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Indian Court Painting: 16th–19th Century," March 25–July 6, 1997.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Painting in the Punjab Hills," 1999–2000.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Gods and Demons," 2000–2001.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Indian Court Painting," 2000.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Gods and Demons," 2002.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Paintings in the Punjab Hills," 2003.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Gods and Demons," November 14, 2006–March 4, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Painting in the Punjab Hills," November 20, 2007–March 16, 2008.
Zurich,. Museum Rietberg. "1100–1900: The 40 Greatest Masters of Indian Painting," May 1, 2011–August 21, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India, 1100–1900," September 26, 2011–January 8, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of Hindu Court Painting," July 17–September 8, 2013.
Archer, W. G. Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills: A Survey and History of Pahari Miniature Painting. Vol. vols. 1 and 2, New York and London: Sotheby Parke Bernet, 1973, pp. 43–46.
Deheji, Harsha. Parvati: Goddess of Love. Ahmedabab, India: Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 1999, p. 89.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012, p. 119.
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