DURGA'S WARNING TO KAMSA (detail)
Attributed to Fattu, son of Manaku
Guler or Basohli, 1760-1765
Opaque pigments with gold on paper
Image: 9 1/8 by 13 3/8 in. (23.2 by 34 cm.)
FEATURED ARTWORK
A desperate tyrant king rushes to seize and then destroy the child he believes is destined to bring about his downfall. But the infant slips from his grasp, rises into the sky as the goddess Durga, and warns him that Krishna—the child destined to destroy him—has already been born. This dramatic scene comes from a page in the celebrated "Large" Bhagavata Purana Series, where a single composition unfolds one of Krishna's most compelling stories. Attributed to Fattu, the son of Manaku, and painted circa 1760–1765, it combines vivid storytelling with the expressive naturalism that transformed Pahari painting during the eighteenth century.
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Created with blazing colors for a royal collection around 1700, the “Shangri” Ramayana has been a beloved and enigmatic series among scholars and collectors for the past century. New evidence from previously unpublished paintings reveals many more artistic styles and triple the number of total folios than have been previously recognized. It argues in favor of a collaborative model of production involving artists from across the alpine region of Pahari India, which straddles the present-day state of Himachal Pradesh and that of Jammu and Kashmir.
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