A REGENCY PENWORK CABINET ON STAND

The Art Institute of Chicago (Bequest of Eugene A. Davidson)

Sold by The Art Institute of Chicago, Christie’s New York, 17-18 December 2014, lot 700

The beautifully detailed penwork decoration on this cabinet depicts various chinoiserie motifs. The top central panel portrays a lady worshipping a Lingam shrine, derived from the iconography of Ragamala paintings. The top side panels depict the Madonna and child copied by an Indian artist from a Western engraving, and a scene with Shiva and Parvati in their heavenly abode on Mount Kailasha. The sides of the cabinet present the sun god Surya being drawn on his chariot by a seven-headed horse surrounded by the Zodiac, Krishna and Radha celebrating the onset of spring, and an amorous trio on a palanquin, among several smaller charming illustrations