Indian miniatures are having a big moment. Last month, Sotheby’s London auctioned Journey of a Persian Prince, dating back to the 16th century, from the late singer Freddie Mercury’s personal collection. The Mughal folio from an Akbarnama — depicting a prince on horseback with his entourage, which “Freddie adored,” according to David Macdonald, head of Single Owner Sales at Sotheby’s — was priced between £30,000 and £50,000.
This month, the auction house will unveil two parts of American scholar, and one of the foremost collectors of miniatures, Stuart Cary Welch’s estate sale. A painting of Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II riding his gold-clad elephant (circa 1600 and estimated between £300,000 and £500,000) is a highlight of the October 25th bidding. And two days later, Christie’s will place over 150 paintings of British historian Toby Falk under the hammer, including A Royal Hunting Party, a Mewar school of painting (circa 1705-15), estimated at £200,000-300,000.
(Left) Journey of a Persian Prince, and the painting of Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II riding his elephant | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
It isn’t only miniatures from eras past that are grabbing headlines. This week, Bengaluru-based gallery KAASH opened PLAY: Experiments with Indian Miniatures, an exhibition spotlighting contemporary miniature artists from the Rajput school of Pahari painting and the Surpur school. The three featured artists — Riyazuddin, Gargi Chandola and Vijay Siddramappa Hagargundgi —break the codes of traditional iconography and push narrative boundaries with works that explore themes of play through depictions of festivals, games, sensuality and pleasure. For historical context, and to offer an immersive multi-sensorial experience, the works are juxtaposed against large-scale projections of South Indian miniatures from the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Projections of South Indian miniatures at KAASH | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Changing the game
“At KAASH, we strongly believe that there is a space for ‘collectible craft’, where if you work with indigenous craft materials, practices and techniques, there is a contemporary design language that can translate it into something between art and design,” explains Manju Sara Rajan, a founding member.
(L-R) Gargi Chandola, Vijay Siddramappa Hagargundgi, and Manju Sara Rajan
Artist Riyazuddin exemplifies this with a first-of-its-kind set of illuminated leather miniatures. They are quite a departure from the traditional, which is often distinguished by its use of bright colours and precious materials (for example, pigments made from malachite and lapis lazuli). Featuring a festive series of gods at play — Ganesha flying kites during Uttarayan, Radha and Krishna celebrating Diwali with phuljhadis — he has painted each frolicking figure directly on untreated parchment leather, which was then engineered by the KAASH team into illuminated boxed art.
Riyazuddin’s illuminated leather miniatures | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Riyazuddin’s Ganeshas at play
Gargi Chandola, a self-taught artist who primarily works on zines and large-scale murals, is currently training in the Pahari school of painting. “I’ve always been drawn to miniature paintings and went to Himachal Pradesh on a whim hoping to collaborate with artists practising this art form,” says Chandola, adding that her works across different mediums, including zines, have always been inspired by miniatures. Now that she’s a practitioner, she’s trying to balance power and lightness, with nuances of sensuality. (While sensuality has always been a part of miniatures, Rajan shares it’s more overt in contemporary works.)
Peeps and Peels by Gargi Chandola | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Chandola’s work at KAASH
Meanwhile, award-winning miniaturist Vijay Siddramappa Hagargundgi, who is credited with reviving the Surpur style, is exhibiting works in colour and contemporary-style line drawings. Coming out of decades of retirement — a time when he “gave up painting with colour” — his new works are vibrant. Hagargundgi’s painstaking style, where he meditatively places tiny squares of gold foil on his art, which depicts figures such as Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu, takes up to three weeks or more to complete. His paintings have been collected by connoisseurs such as Lekha Poddar and Jagdish Mittal.
A miniature by Vijay Siddramappa Hagargundgi | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Hagargundgi’s line drawings
“We realised most have been collaborating with international artists such as [British-born] Alexander Gorlizki for a long time, so we thought it’s time for them to have a show with their own name on it,” says Rajan.
Moving beyond portraits
With miniaturists now focusing on preserving traditional styles while experimenting with modern concepts and materials, “several contemporary galleries are including the artists in their portfolio”, says Ashwin Thadani, director of Mumbai’s Galerie Isa, who showcased American photographer and artist Waswo X. Waswo’s miniatures in a group show last year. “Today, the exquisite nature of miniatures appeals to a niche segment of art enthusiasts, with collectors drawn to this style for the challenge it presents in its creation and its astounding attention to detail.”
Ashwin Thadani of Galerie Isa | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Waswo, who collaborates with a number of miniaturists at his Udaipur studio, has witnessed this change. He pins the resurgence of interest in contemporary miniatures to auction houses in the U.K. suddenly discovering that miniatures can command a steep price. “There has been an unfortunate attitude in the art world that paintings are valued by size. Miniature painting rubs contrary to that notion,” he shares. “With artists taking hold of the miniature tradition and making it their own vehicle for expression, collectors and the art world have had to rethink some of their assumptions.”
Artist Waswo X. Waswo | Photo Credit: Meropie Mitrou
He believes there is a misconception that traditional miniatures were all formal portraits of noblemen and gods and goddesses. “That isn’t true. There was a lot of playfulness, especially in Mewar. I think the young practitioners are furthering that exploratory playfulness, and it’s great to see the evolution,” Waswo concludes.
PLAY is on till November 15 at KAASH.
The writer and creative consultant is based in Mumbai.
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