Handpainted – Pichwai – Shrinathji and the Four Gopis

Provenance

'Shrinathji and the Four Gopis' is a horizontal Pichwai painting on a black ground, with a gold-toned palette that gives it a lamp-lit richness. Shrinathji stands at the centre on a pink lotus pedestal, attended by four women in golden skirts, two on each side. It draws on the Nathdwara tradition of showing the deity with companions in a garden, though the identity of the women is left to the viewer.

The blue-faced deity wears a crown, a round halo and a long garland of pink lotus petals, with pearl strands covering his chest and a golden cloth lifted in one hand. The four attendants wear gold skirts patterned with tiny red and green flowers, with pearl jewellery, bangles and gold headcloths, and stand in graceful poses with their hands extended towards him. At both ends, trees with golden leaves and pink fruit rise to the top of the frame, and a dense cluster of gold dots fills the space behind the deity.

Black, gold and pink dominate, with the blue of the face and hands as the single cool accent. White and gold dots are scattered across the black ground like stars, and a border of red and yellow flowers frames the whole painting. The result is dramatic and ornamental, ideal for a long wall above a sofa or console.