Garden and Cosmos
The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur pulse with gods and monsters, maharajas and magic, says head curator of Asian Arts at the AGNSW, Jackie Menzies
Jackie, these paintings look amazing! I know! They were all discovered in the Royal Palace storeroom in Jodhpur by a scholar, Debra Diamond from the Smithsonian [Sackler Gallery] in Washington, so they're in superb condition and quite luminous.
So there are two separate sections in the show? One is about the gardens and the lifestyle of the maharajas of Jodhpur and shows them in their marble palaces lounging around being entertained by musicians with all this beautiful lush foliage in the background. And the other section, ‘Cosmos', looks at some of the great Hindu epics depicted in a very imaginative, mind-boggling way.
I'm looking at Jallandharnath Flies over King Padam's Palace (1830). What on earth's going on in that picture? Jallandharnath is a ‘siddha' - they are beings who have become totally enlightened and part of being fully enlightened is that you are magical and you can fly. You have all the lovely girls frolicking in the swimming pool, because India is very hot, and the Maharaja would have been in the pool, and all his wives and ladies of the court would be in there with him.
Who is the woman flying overhead? King Padam wins the hand of the princess, but the siddha enchants her so the princess is flying behind him, but from the sky she sees the king and drops the gold bracelet as a token of love.
Well, as long as they're all having a good time. Yes, I think they are!
There's another spectacular one called Prince Subuddhi in the Forest of Illusion (1830). It's very dramatic isn't it? On the right you have Shiva, the Hindu god, and then on the left you have a cremation ground. As the catalogue says, "drunken demons ride bloated animal carcasses in a torrential river of blood."
Full on. Cremation grounds are very important as a transition area between this world and the next. This [image] was about creating a narrative for the family, for the clan. Shiva promises the king divine assistance for his bravery. So it's all very good stuff; heroic tales about gods and heroes. That's what's it's all about: gods, heroes and enlightenment.
What about the figure with a lotus growing out of his chest? That is Vishnu, the great Hindu god, and he's floating on the cosmic ocean and out of him comes this lotus and on that is Brahma, and Brahma is the one who will create the universe.
What are these images painted on? They are on Indian paper using mineral pigments and gold, which is used to represent things like the cosmos, and is why they glow.
What is the Mehrangarh Museum Trust? That's been set up by the current Maharaja in 1972 to promote this royal collection, to exhibit it, so they can have a proper museum and properly catalogue it. It's about looking after his collection and promoting Jodphur and its heritage.
And these work haven't left India before? Yes, we're the last part of the tour. The show opened in Seattle and went to the British Museum. I heard about it, so I wrote the Maharaja and said, "What about us?" Nick Dent
Garden and Cosmos exhibits at the Art Gallery of NSW until 26 Jan 2010. See listings for details.
Instant expert
Garden and Cosmos
What is it? Fifty-four paintings on loan from the royal collection at the Mehrangarh Museum Trust in Jodhpur, India.
When were they painted? 17th-19 centuries.
Why? The ‘Garden' paintings were mostly commissioned by Maharaja Bakhat Singh (1725-1751) to depict the pleasures of the royal court. The ‘Cosmos' paintings were commissioned by Maharaja Man Singh (1803-1843) to represent Hindu concepts and texts visually.
Where is Jodhpur? A popular tourist destination in northwest India and the capital of the state of Rajasthan.
What are jodhpurs? Tight-fitting riding pants originating, yes, in Jodhpur.
