Collection of Mr. Gordon H. Mattison, Maryland.

The ideal lovers - Radha and Krishna - after a night together. On abed on an🅷 open outdoor terrace of a palace, the lovers awoke with their clothes in disarray. Krꦅishna wears a transparent saffron wrap. Radha rising up, her long hair slightly disheveled.

This striking painting - attributed here to the artist Sajnu of Mandi - bears stylistic affinity to both Kangra and Guler works created during the period which Archer terms “Phase Two” at Mandi - a phase concurrent with the arrival of the painter Sajnu at the court of Maharaja Isvari Sen (1788-1826) marking an abrupt departure from the earlier “primitive” style of Phase One. It may be surmised that the raja encountered the painter Sajnu during his twelve year forced exile at Kangra and persuaded him to join the royal painting atelier 🤡upon his return to Mandi around 1805.

The output of the Mandi worksh൲ops appear prolific during the 19th Century with the powerful influence of the Kangra manner predominating. Autograph works by the hand of Sajnu appear scarce but attributable paintings to him may be guessed at by comparison with extant inscribed works such as the Hamir Hath series of 1810 and a lovely tinted drawing of a phulgar (pheasant) inscribed and dated S⛦amvat 1867 (1810), naming Sajnu as painter.

Although uninscribed the high quality and assured ha𝄹nd of our present work reveals the work of a Mandi workshop master - and likely attri💞butable to the artist Sajnu himself.