Deities and Humans – Indian Miniature Painting
The collection of Indian gouaches at the current Online Auction provide an interesting insight into the long tradition of miniature painting in India. The small works of art were all collected by two passionate Danes, archaeologist and ethnographer Werner Jacobsen and civil engineer Vagn Pedersen.
Great Art in a Small Format
India has a long tradition of miniatures – a genre that contains works of art in a very small format. In India, the genre can be traced back to the Pala Empire in the 8th century. Initially, the works were illustrations of religious texts written on palm leaves, and the motifs were found in the religious and mythical world. The penchant for expressing oneself in a small format continued, but the style was further developed under the Mughal rulers of the 16th-18th century. The motifs of this period became more worldly and provide us with a vivid depiction of the rulers' lifestyle. Hunting scenes, palace scenes and portraits were thus typical of the Mughal school of painting. Nature was realistically depicted, and the scenes were often set in a richly decorated frame. With the fall of the Mughal Empire, more regional styles flourished, and the tradition of miniature painting continues to this day in India.
A Varied Collection
|
The offered collection contains Indian miniatures from the 19th and 20th century and shows how artists of this period drew inspiration from the early styles within the genre. The motifs in the collection range widely, yet depictions of deities take up a significant part. Here, scenes from the legendary life of the popular Krishna are frequently represented. In the collection, there is also a group of motifs with Shrinathji – a form of Krishna, manifest as a seven-year-old child. Erotic motifs have also found their way onto the paper in the collection, some of which are as enigmatic as they are imaginative. |
|
Two Passionate Collectors
|
|
The gouaches were collected by Werner Jacobsen (1914-1979) and Vagn Pedersen (1927-2005) respectively. Werner Jacobsen spent much of his life travelling and on expeditions. He participated in the explorer and anthropologist Henning Haslund-Christensen's expedition to Mongolia in 1938-1939, and from 1946-1959 Jacobsen lived in Nepal and India. He brought back hundreds of objects and historical documents from his travels and gave them to various museums. On these trips, he probably also bought several of the offered works, which would later become part of Vagn Pedersen's collection. Pedersen was a civil engineer with a broad interest in and extensive knowledge of Asian art and antiques. With great enthusiasm, he expanded on Werner Jacobsen's collection with several similar works that he acquired from antique dealers and at auctions. |
|
For further information, please contact:
Ralph Lexner: +45 8818 1161 · rl@bruun-rasmussen.dk
Alexandra Nilsson: +45 8818 1166 · ani@bruun-rasmussen.dk