Handpainted – Pichwai – Shrinathji Among the Dancing Peacocks

Provenance

'Shrinathji Among the Dancing Peacocks' is a Pichwai painting in which eight fanned peacocks surround a small standing figure of the deity. The bird is a favourite in Pichwai, often linked with the monsoon and with Krishna's peacock-feather crown, and here it takes over the composition, with Shrinathji set among lotus flowers at the centre.

Shrinathji stands in the middle of the painting, framed by pink lotus blossoms and a halo, with a green cloth lifted in one hand. Above and below, large peacocks with green-and-orange tails spread out like round fans, while smaller peacocks and two white birds gather near the base. At the top, two white peacock-headed boats sit beside a banana plant, and a row of lotuses and leaves runs along the foot. The painting is framed in dark wood, with a cream mount.

Brown, green, blue and orange form the palette, with the lotuses and the yellow floral border giving the dark ground some light. Each peacock is painted with fine, close feathering, so the surface has a rich, patterned density. It is an unusual and distinctive Pichwai for a statement wall.