Osian's Auction Catalogue ABC Series III | March 2007

ABC Series III 33 27 TANJORE SCHOOL Ram and Sita with Laxman, Shatrugana and Bharat Paint on wood; embellished with gold foil and ornamental stones; border of coloured glass, late 1920s 37.8 x 28.0 in (96.0 x 71.1 cm) INR 500,000 – 625,000 USD 11,300 – 14,100 28 TANJORE SCHOOL Thillai Nataraj/ Shiv Nritya Paint on wood; embellished with gold foil and ornamental stones; border of coloured glass, late 1920s 28.3 x 22.5 in (71.8 x 57.1 cm) INR 500,000 – 625,000 USD 11,300 – 14,100 ‘Representing a late phase of India art, the originality of Tanjavur paintings lies in its integrating process by which inuences from various ows were dissolved into a unique decorative idiom, reecting the praise and respect to godliness and religion. The unique assimilating powers of a city such as Tanjavur, with its rich cultural history, added to the ability to merge the Tamil sensibilities with the Tamil and Maratha, creating a mix of the classical and the folk, the ritualistic and the popular.Antecedents and sources of inspiration to the Tanjavur paintings ranged from the popular folk paintings, the Kalamkari paintings at Masulipatnam & the Vijaynagara murals to the iconic stylizations common at sacred pilgrimage centres such as Tirupati and Puri’ – Jaya Appasamy rpt. in Tanjavur Paintings of the Maratha Period 1980.