PICCHAVAI DEPICTING THE RASALILA India, Nathdwara, circa 1900

Wear to pigment overall with scattered areas of straining from ritual use. Some areas of pigment loss with scattered tears and holes in lower right quadrant, stable. Painting relined with some consolidation to blue pigment throughout.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The term picchvai or "background painting" refers to the way in which these paintings were traditionally worshipped—picchvai such as these would have been hung in a temple and placed behind a rupa or sculpture of the deity. Often picchvai retain traces of traditional ablution substances, such as milk or saffron water, used to lustrate the deity. 

The four picchvai paintings in lots 1318—1322 depict forms of Krishna, portrayed in blue, particularly in his form as Lord Shrinathji, in the manifestation as a small child. Krishna is a cowherd, and cows are featured vividly In each of the four paintings as the deity's attendant animals.

Lot 1322 depicts the Rasalila, a mythological story from the Bhagavata Purana and the Gita Govinda in which Krishna's lover Radha and the gopis, entranced by the music of Krishna's flute, spend the night in ecstatic dance and celebration.