The Bower of Quiet Passion

This eighteenth-century Kishangarh painting depicts the amorous encounter of Radha and Krishna in a bower surrounded by deep green foliage, flowering creepers, and mango trees. The lovers are perched on a platform, physically distanced from the outside world yet surrounded by nature’s beauty. Krishna leans over the beloved Radha, wearing yellow clothes (pitambara), a peacock feather crown, and blue skin. Her sheer odhani covers her profile, which is only visible because of her stunning jewelry. Nihal Chand has created this work using the Kishangarh style, which was developed under the guidance of the poet-prince Raja Savant Singh. The painter has emphasized the elongated temples, beautifully drawn noses, high forehead, and pointed chin in his characteristic style. The figures have highly stylized and elongated almond-shaped eyes that slant up at the temples. The work depicts the shringara rasa (the love play) that was strongly advocated by Vallabhacharya’s Pushtimarg sect. It is also noticeable that the Kishangarh school of painting adopted Persian elements like yellow ochre and white marble buildings. Apart from the enclosed garden setting, the work also contains distant horizons with a twilight glow. These were added to give the painting a three-dimensionality and visual depth. The Mughal elements in the work include marbles and lotus flowers in the miniature. However, the Kishangarh style displays a greater degree of passion and devotion than is typical in Mughal art.