Our exhibition presents a rare opportunity to view 25 Pahari paintings from the celebrated and much published Seitz collection.
Pahari paintings originate from the mountainous regions of northern India. In the 17th and 18th century this area consisted of many kingdoms, each with their own Rajput ruler, court and school of painting. This period also marked the zenith of Pahari paining. Initially painting revolved around the Basohli and Nurpur courts with their powerful and brilliant colours and conceptual architecture and landscape.
In the 18th century Pahari painting became more lyrical and naturalistic. The driving force was the Guler artist Pandit Seu and his family. Their royal commissions focused on the worship of Krishna and poetry describing the vicissitudes of love. The best of these romantic paintings are amongst the masterpieces of Indian art.
Konrad Seitz first went to India as a young German diplomat in the late 1960s. He and his wife were drawn to Pahari paintings and were one of a small group of pioneer collectors who recognised the importance of these paintings. They assembled one of the largest collections of first generation Guler style painting of which a group is now in the Rietberg Museum Zurich.
In 2017, we will publish Eva and Konrad Seitz’s Pahari collection with research and text by J.P. Losty.