117 118 117 SHIVA AND PARVATI KALIGHAT, EASTERN <strong>INDIA</strong>, LATE 19TH CENTURY Opaque pigments on paper, enthroned, he, wearing a tiger skin, numerous necklaces and with his long hair matted, with intertwined cobras around his head and body, his consort on his left leg richly attired and bejewelled, mounted 18 x 11in. (45.8 x 28cm.) £2,500-3,500 $3,600-5,000 €3,200-4,400 76 118 KRISHNA SLAYS BAKASURA KALIGHAT, EASTERN <strong>INDIA</strong>, LATE 19TH CENTURY Opaque pigments on paper, the richly dressed and bejewelled blue-skinned deity holds the crane’s beak and slays it 18 x 12in. (45.8 x 30.5cm.) £2,500-3,500 $3,600-5,000 €3,200-4,400 Our painting shows the well-known scene where the demon crane is killed by Krishna. Bakasura, sent by the demon Kamsa to kill Krishna, had previously swallowed him. However, Krishna radiated so much heat that Bakasura was forced to regurgitate him, thus setting him free. Krishna seized the crane’s beak and tore him apart. 119 A LARGE ICON <strong>OF</strong> VISHNU RECLINING ON SHESHA TANJORE, SOUTH <strong>INDIA</strong>, LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY Opaque pigments on paper and gold and silver leaves applied on board, Vishnu reclines on a bolster supported by the coils of a naga, protected by the naga’s head, his consort Lakshmi at his feet, attendants and worshippers behind and below 36º x 47in. ( 92 x 119.5cm.) £4,000-6,000 $5,700-8,500 €5,000-7,500 Tanjore is well known for the large depictions of episodes of the life of Krishna. Here the artist seems to have departed from the usual subject and opted to depict Vishnu, of whom Krishna is one of the ten avatars. Between yugas or eras, Vishnu reclines on Shesha, the multi-hooded naga foating on the waters of the primordial ocean. From the deity’s navel rises the lotus from which bud Brahma will appear. His consort, Lakshmi, is often depicted holding or caressing his feet.
119 120 TWO IMPRESSIVE ‘TIPU’ BRONZE MORTARS ENGLAND, 20TH CENTURY By Lloyd Le Blanc, each cast in the form of roaring lions, the rear and tail forming the cascabel, with closed vent on the back, the wide opened mouth showing fangs, with ribbed concave muzzle 29Ωin. (75cm.) high., 36in. (91.5cm.) long £5,000-7,000 $7,200-10,000 €6,300-8,700 PROVENANCE: Christie’s, London, 25 May 1993, lot 219 120 END <strong>OF</strong> SALE
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