An Illustration from the Bhagavata Purana: Kamsa summons the wrestlers Chanura, Mustika and Sala

The illustration from the tenth chapter of the Bhagavata Purana, depicts the wrestlers Chanura, Mustika and Sala receving instructions to kill Krishna and Balarama from their master, Krishna's evil uncle Kamsa.

In good condition but with overall rubbing, staining, and accretion. No restoration. Inscription in Devanagari on verso.
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The present and four following lots belong to a group of Bhagavata Purana illustrations that appear to be by the hand of an artist belonging to the first generation after the master painter Manaku of Guler. The album was initially attributed to the Basholi school but later scholarship changed in favor of a Guler origin, leading to the moniker 'Guler-Basholi' to identify the series.

B. N. Goswamy attributes the bulk of images in this series to Fattu, eldest son of Manaku. In his words, "This series, which treats the Tenth Book (of the Purana) and has the life, deeds and loves of Krishna as its theme, may well be Fattu's work." B. N. Goswamy and Eberhard Fischer, Pahari Masters, Zurich, 1992, p. 314.  Indeed, three of the five following illustrations, including the present lot, are inscribed 'from the Tenth Chapter of the Bhagavata Purana' in Devanagari characters on the verso, proving beyond doubt that they are from this series.

Goswamy suggests that the series may have been started during the lifetime of Manaku but over time, Fattu gradually came under Nainsukh's influence, ibid. The illustrations in the group therefore straddle two distinct styles - the vivid clarity of Manaku which gave way to the delicate idealism of Nainsukh, thereby marking a pivotal moment in the transition of styles in this Pahari workshop. D. Mason, Intimate Worlds, Philadelphia, 2001, p. 188.

The forms and outlines of the principal figures in the present lot, and their central placement in the foreground against a solid gold color field, are closely related to Manaku's style. However, the naturalistic portraiture of each figure, central and subsidiary; the attention paid to detail, with a variety of facial types and expressions; and the carefully considered placement of groups of figures on the outer foreground, bear the distinct imprimatur of Nainsukh's manner.

The artist skilfully captures the arrogance of Kamsa as he gives orders to his minions and the excitement and palpable tension on the faces of the gathered onlookers in anticipation of the fight to come.

For another painting from this series, possibly the scene following this, see Sotheby's New York, November, 30, 1994, lot 24. For other illustrations from this series, see Andrew Topsfield, In the Realm of Gods and Kings, New York, 2004, no.66, p.166; W. G. Archer, Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills, London & New York, 1973, vol.II, pp.36-39; and S. Kramrish, Painted Delight: Indian Paintings from Philadelphia Collections, Philadelphia, 1986, nos. 102-104.