Osian's Auction Catalogue The Masterpieces Series | March 2010

23 The Masterpieces SerieS 2 r AjA r Avi v ArmA (1848 – 1906) National Art Treasure / Antiquity Regd. No: DHL-I 007033 Coronation of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III at the Mysore Durbar Gouache on paper , c. 1884 13.0 x 16.0 in (33.0 x 42.1 cm) Provenance THE OSIAN’s COLLECTION. Acquired from Chennai-based Private Collector in 2004 by Delhi based Gallery, thereafter Osian’s. INR 3,600,000 – 5,400,000 Non–Exportable Item Raja Ravi Varma visited Mysore twice, in 1884 at the invitation of the then Maharaja, Sri Chamarajendra Wodeyar and later in 1904, at the invitation of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar. The Maharaja was impressed by the awards Ravi Varma had won at several exhibitions and competitions. But when he got to know about the remarkable paintings Ravi Varma had done for the royal state of Baroda and the honour bestowed upon him, Maharaja Chamarajendra invited the artist to his court. Ravi Varma was given a royal welcome, had a royal mansion to reside in and royal amusements in the form of music, dances and plays every night at the palace. On his first visit, Ravi Varma spent three months in the court of Mysore and produced a number of paintings on subject matters of the king’s interest. The king had a special interest in historical paintings related to his family. This work is a rare gouache by India’s pioneering modern artist depicting the coronation of the four year old Krishnaraja Wodeyar III, who was rescued by the British from a miserable hovel in Srirangapatnam and was appointed the King of Mysore.