Painted Delight: Indian Paintings from Philadelphia Collections

228 Pages·2014·21.14 MB·English

by  Kramrisch, Stella, 1898-1993

Digitized by the Internet Archive
2014
in
https://archive.org/details/painteddelightinOOkram
Painted
Delight
THIS EXHIBITIONAND CATALOGUE
INCELEBRATION OF THEFESTIVAL OFINDIA
ARE SUPPORTED BY
THEPEWMEMORIAL TRUSTAND THEBOHENFOUNDATION
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OFART
JANUARY26 TO APRIL 20, 1986
Painted
Delight
INDIAN PAINTINGS FROM PHILADELPHIA COLLECTIOXS
Kramrisch
Stella
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
— —
Cover:GodIndra VisitstheImprisonedSTtd
inRavana'sPalaceGarden Whilethe
GuardianDemonessesSleep(detailofno. 120)
editor:GeorgeH. Marcus
copyeditor:JudithEbbertBoust
photography:JoanBroderickandEricMitchell
designer:JosephB. DelValle
composition:JohnC. Meyer, Philadelphia
printing:LebanonValleyOffset, Annville, Pa.
Copyright1986bythe
PhiladelphiaMuseumofArt
Box7646, Philadelphia, Pa. 19101
Allrightsreserved
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedina
retrievalsystem, ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
orotherwise, withoutpriorpermission, inwriting,
ofthePhiladelphiaMuseumofArt.
ISBN0-87633-064-2
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Kramrisch, Stella
Painteddelight.
Bibliography:p.
1. Illuminationofbooksandmanuscri—pts, Indie
CollectorsandcollectingPennsylvania Philadelphia
—
Exhibitions. —2. Miniaturepa—inting, Indie —Collectors
andcollecting Pennsylvania Philadelphia Exhibitions.
I. PhiladelphiaMuseumofArt. II. Title.
ND3247.7.K67 1986 745.6'7'o9540740i48n 85-31013
ISBN0-87633-064-2
ISBN0-8122-7954-9(Univ. ofPa. Pr.)
CONTENTS
PREFACE
vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ix
INTRODUCTION
xi
PLATES
1
CATALOGUE
Pre-Mughal Painting 152
Mughal Painting 154
Painting in the Deccan 161
Rajput Painting in the Plains 164
Rajput Painting in the Panjah Hills iyg
Folk Painting 189
BIBLIOGRAPHY
191

PREFACE
nterest in the arts ofIndia has flourished in Philadelphia since the early years ofthis
century most strikingly revealed in the gift to this Museum in 1919, by members ofthe
-X. Gibsonfamilyofcarvedstonesectionsofasixteenth-centurytemplehallfromMadura.The
acquisitionofthisimpressivearchitecturalinteriorbodedwellfortheMuseum'sIndiancollection,
whichreceiveditsfirstpaintingsin1925asagiftfromLydiaThompsonMorris.PersianandIndian
miniaturepaintingswereincludedintheSesqui-CentennialExpositionof1926,andanimportant
groupofIndianpaintingscollectedbythepresidentofthePennsylvaniaAcademyoftheFineArts,
JohnFrederickLewis, wasgivento theFreeLibraryofPhiladelphiain 1933.
To celebrate the Festival ofIndia, organized by the governments ofIndia and the United
Statesfor1985—86,itseemedappropriatethatthisMuseumselectforexhibitionandpublication,in
manycasesforthefirsttime, fromtherichvarietyofIndianpaintingsownedinthePhiladelphia
area. We areenormously grateful to the individuallenders, Dr. Alvin O. Bellak, Mr. and Mrs.
WilliamP.Wood,Mrs. HarveyZ. Yellin,andseveralanonymouscollectors,aswellastotheFree
Library, forsharingtheworksintheirpossession. Wewouldalsoliketoexpresswarmthanksto
thedonorswhohavegivenpaintingsorfundsfortheirpurchasetothisMuseumovertheyears.
The combined generosity ofThe Pew Memorial Trust and TheBohen Foundationhasmadeit
possibleto mounttheexhibitionandpublishthis catalogue.
ForDr. Stella Kramrisch, whohas selected thepaintings and written thetext thataccom-
paniesthem,PaintedDelightisthemostrecentinaremarkablesequenceofprojectsdevotedtothe
artofIndia, asubjectshehasdonemuchtoilluminateforWesternscholarsandviewers. Thetitle
she has chosen for the exhibition succinctly expresses what she has always sought to reveal in
worksofart:thedelightoftheartist, whethercourtpainterorruralcraftsman, inhiscreation. In
bringing this project to fruition, Dr. Kramrisch has been ably assisted by ElizabethJohnson,
Nancy Baxter, and Bernice Connolly, as well as by the staffofthe Registrar's office and the
departmentsofPublicationsandSpecialExhibitions. DeniseThomasandFaithZieske, Associate
andAssistantConservatorsofworksonpaper,haveworkedlongandthoughtfullytoenablemany
ofthefragileobjectsintheexhibitiontobepresentedtothepublic.TheDivisionofEducationhas
plannedalivelyprogramofmusic, dance, film, andlecturesthatremindusthatforcenturiesin
Indiathevisualartshavebeen intimatelyassociatedwiththeperformingarts.
Anned'Harnoncourt
TheGeorgeD. WidenerDirector
Vll