Handpainted – Pichwai – Shrinathji with Cows and Gopis in the Grove

Provenance

'Shrinathji with Cows and Gopis in the Grove' is a horizontal Pichwai painting that gathers the deity, his herd and his attendants into a single night-time scene. It is organised in the manner of a Nathdwara hanging, with a large central picture surrounded by a border of small panels, and it fills the frame with detail from edge to edge.

Shrinathji stands at the centre on a pink lotus, wearing a crown and a garland of lotus petals, and is surrounded by a dense herd of white cows with decorated horns and gold neck chains. Five women with trays stand beneath banana leaves and trees on one side, and turbaned cowherds appear among the cows. Behind them, a blue sky is scattered with white dots and a small moon. Around the picture, a border of small niches shows seated and standing figures against coloured grounds, with a floral edge in yellow, red and blue.

Green foliage, blue sky, white cows and red and yellow borders give the painting a rich, varied palette, with the deep blue of the central figure drawing the eye. Many small repeating elements, such as cow horns, panels and flowers, give the surface a steady rhythm. It is a painting for people who enjoy looking closely, and works well on a large wall.