Hindu amulet (1 risultati)
Altre immaginiEditore: North India, ca. 1850., 1850
- Manoscritto/carta da collezione
Da: Antiquariat INLIBRIS Gilhofer Nfg. GmbH, Vienna, A, AustriaAntiquariat INLIBRIS Gilhofer Nfg. GmbH
Contatta il venditoreVenditore con 5 stelleCondizione: Usato
EUR 9500,00
EUR 30,00 spedizioneSpedito da Austria a U.S.A.Quantità: 1 disponibili
Aggiungi al carrelloScroll (3.5 x 496 cm). Nagari manuscript on polished paper. 13 hand-painted miniatures in gouache and gold. Elegant miniatures of Hindu deities, including five of the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, adorn this remarkably small scroll on thin, highly burnished paper, undoubtedly executed for a wealthy patron. Probably representing… a Hindu response to the Islamic tradition of miniature Qur'ans, this practice originated in eighteenth-century Kashmir, in a striking example of cross-cultural fertilisation in the written culture of the subcontinent. - Inspired by the Arabic practice of ghubar (dust) writing, so called due to its delicate appearance, the nagari hand occupies a written area of only 21 mm in width, displaying impressively miniature penmanship, delineated by margins ruled in blue, gold and orange. Like the Qur'ans written in ghubar, which were carried as protective amulets, this gives the scroll a compact, easily portable size. - While the entire Qur'an could fit onto a roll of paper, Hindu texts are longer, and so works such as the Bhagavata Purana and the Bhagavad-Gita were excerpted and abbridged. Furthermore, unlike in the Islamic tradition, depictions of the divine were permissible, meaning this scroll is adorned with scenes from the legends of the gods. - The colourful paintings, executed with remarkable elegance for such a small area, display the power of the Hindu deities. Opening the scroll, we are greeted by the images of Ganesh, Brahma, Siva and Parvati, and Siva seated on a tiger skin in front of a devotee. After the beginning of the text, illustrations appear throughout, including Matsya avatar; the Churning of the Ocean; Varaha avatar; Krishna decapitating a king; Parashurama avatar; Vasudeva carrying Krishna across the Yamuna; Vamana avatar; Narasimha avatar; and Siva seated on a lotus with devotees in attendance. - A remarkably fine display of miniature scribal and artistic talent, born from the cross-cultural currents of northern India. - Mild wear to exterior. Light corrections to opening lines, a few minor creases, marginal tears and small holes, and ink-stains, not leading to any loss of text. Overwhelmingly crisp and clean, decorations bright and elegant. - J. P. Losty, The Art of the Book in India (British Library, 1982), esp. p. 145.
