Handpainted – Pichwai – Shrinathji with the Cowherds in Gold

Provenance

'Shrinathji with the Cowherds in Gold' is a horizontal Pichwai painting worked almost entirely in golden tones, in which the deity stands before a great golden disc between two cowherds and their cows. It draws on the Nathdwara tradition of showing Shrinathji with the herdsmen of Braj, and the pale gold ground gives the whole scene a soft, burnished warmth.

Shrinathji has a dark-blue face, a peacock-feather crown and a raised left arm holding a red cloth, with pink lotuses at his side and a garland of pink lotus petals around a pearl-covered body. His patterned skirt flares at the base above a low platform. Behind him, the golden halo is finely patterned with leaves. On each side, a cowherd in a red turban, holding a slender stick, stands among three cream-gold cows with red hand marks, and carved golden stands hold offerings at the deity's feet.

Gold, cream and red dominate, with the blue of the deity and the blue flowers of the border as cool accents. The ground is scattered with tiny pale flowers, and the cows are painted with soft shading that gives them volume. A border of pink and blue flowers on yellow closes the composition. It is a warm, refined painting, well suited to a long wall above a sofa or console.