Vintage Pichwai Traditional Hindu Art
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Vintage handmade pichwai from India depicting Krishna with his devotees. Painted with real mineral pigments on cotton cloth.
Pichwai (also pichhwai, pichvai, pechhavai) is a style of large devotional Indian or Hindu paintings, which are normally painted on cloth and hung as tapestries. The word Pichwai has its roots in the Sanskrit pich (behind) and wai (hanging). Pichwais are intricate and visually stunning paintings, which depict tales from Lord Krishna’s life.
The traditional Pichwai art form emerged in the 17th Century at the Nathdwara temple (built in 1692) near Udaipur in Rajasthan. Often dedicated to Krishna as Shrinathji, the paintings were typically hung behind the idol of the deity in the main temple and local shrines. These elaborate hand-painted artworks celebrate the different moods and expressions of Krishna, and mostly depict temple rituals like the adornment (shringaar) of Shrinathji according to the seasons or festivals in the Pushtimarg Vaishnava calendar. Aurangabad was another area associated with them. The purpose of Pichwais, other than artistic appeal, was to narrate tales of Krishna to the illiterate. Temples had sets with different images, which were changed according to the calendar of festivals celebrating the deity.
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Dimensions: approx. 41 x 52 cm
Provenance: from the estate of Cedomir Minderovic
Cedomir Minderovic (Belgrade, 1912 – Delhi, 1966) was a prominent Serbian writer, General Secretary of the Union of Yugoslav Writers, President of the Association of Writers of Serbia, and Director of the National Library of Serbia, since the 1960s up to 1965, and Yugoslav diplomat in India.
Condition: Very good; few folds.
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Please refer to the pictures for a detailed assessment of the item’s condition.
