Jaipur, Rajasthan · Circa 1840s

A Mid-19th Century Jaipur Miniature Painting: Rādhā and Krishna Celebrating Sāwan Teej

Śrī Tīj Līlā in Gold and Monsoon

This refined Jaipur miniature depicts Radha and Krishna seated together on a swing suspended from a large tree in the monsoon groves of Braj. Sakhis gather around the divine couple, pushing and attending the swing as part of the Sāvan Teej celebration. Dark rain clouds gather above, a watercourse flows through the middle distance, and a distant palace or temple complex marks the sacred-courtly landscape.

The upper cartouche contains a Braj inscription beginning with the opening doha of the Teej Lila section of Braj Utsav Bilas / Vraj Utsav Vilas, attributed to Chacha Hit Vrindavan Das Ji. The inscription identifies the subject not as a generic monsoon swing scene, but as Śrī Tīj Līlā, the sacred Teej festival of Radha and Krishna in the bowers of Braj.

School

Jaipur

Region

Rajasthan

Date

Circa 1840s

Medium

Opaque watercolor with gold on wasli

Dimensions

33.7 × 24.6 cm

Subject

Rādhā and Krishna · Sāwan Teej · Jhūlan Līlā

Condition

Good

Rarity

Rare. An inscribed Jaipur Teej miniature connected to the Braj festival text Braj Utsav Bilas, with extensive gold and a fully developed monsoon setting.

Status

Available