Handpainted – Pichwai – Shrinathji Beneath a Starlit Border

Provenance

'Shrinathji Beneath a Starlit Border' pairs a pale green niche with a deep navy surround scattered with small yellow dots, so that the cows seem to walk through a night sky. The central figure follows the Nathdwara convention, standing tall and frontal, but the colour scheme gives it a different mood: cool, nocturnal and slightly theatrical.

The blue-faced deity wears a crown with a peacock-feather halo, an orange skirt trimmed in gold and an orange sleeve on the raised left arm, with a golden-yellow cloth in his hand and another sweeping outward to the left. Pink lotuses rise at his side, and a petal garland and long pearl strands run down his chest. Twelve white cows with orange marks cross the navy border, with two orange roundels at the base and a white platform below the feet.

Navy, mint green and orange meet at full strength, with the yellow dots in the border acting as a quiet pattern of stars. The white of the cows stands out clearly against the dark ground, while the soft green niche keeps the centre light. It is a distinctive take on a familiar subject and works well in a darker room.