PARSURAMA OFFERING A LIBATION OF BLOOD, PAHARI, LATE 18TH CENTURY

Opaque watercolour and gold on paper

Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, 1969

Condition: there is very minor medium loss due to slight rubbing and age along the lower edges and left edges as well as upper right corner. Colour: the catalogue illustration is accurate; however, the overall tonality is slightly lighter on the original work. As viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This is a rare and important Pahari painting. Combining the figural delicacy associated with the Kangra school with a powerful and gory scene, the central figure of Parasurama stands out in an otherwise flat and haunting landscape.

The scene depicted is from the Mahabarata and concerns the incarnation of Parasurama ("Rama with the Axe"). Parasurama kills the thousand-armed king Kartavirya, who has defiled the hermitage where he and his family live. In revenge the sons of Kartavirya slay Parasurama's father, the pious hermit Jamadaghni. In revenge for this, an enraged Parasurama kills all the sons of Kartavirya and all the Kshattriyas, filling fives lakes with their bloood (Samanta-panchaka).

Cary Welch's handwritten notes on the backboard of the frame are as follows:
"Parashurama or Rama with the axe. The first rama, and the sixth avatar of Vishnu. He was a Brahmin, fifth son of Jamad-agni and Renuka... Became manifest in the world at the beginning of the Treta yugas, for the purpose of repressing the Brammy of the Kshatriya or regal caste. His story is told in the Mahabharata and in the Puranas. He also appears in the Ramayana, but chiefly as an opponent of Rama Chandra. He cleared the earth of Kshatriyas 21 times and he filled with their blood the five large lakes of Samanta-panchaka'"

A vessel very similar to the one from which Parasurama is pouring the libation of blood is lot 178 in this sale.