Very well painted original watercolour, indistinctly signed and painted circa 1890.
Depicting a view of boatmen or ferrymen, with numerous passengers on Dal Lake, with the snow capped Himalayan mountain ranges dominating the skyline.
Indistinctly signed lower right and further inscribed in pencil on the hull of the boat in the foreground. Frustratingly, I have as yet been unable to decipher either the signature or inscription. With 'The Heffer Gallery, Cambridge' label on the back board - judging by the frame this would have been sold by then in the 1960s.
Watercolour on wove paper, laid on card. In a modern gilt wood frame with wash line mount.
Watercolour in excellent original condition with strong fresh colour (see photos) frame with some very slight nicks and scratches, mount with light age toning around the outer edges (see photos).
Image 23.5cm x 33.5cm, frame 43cm x 52cm.
Comes with out Certificate of Authenticity - guaranteed authentic and original.
Delivered ready to hang.
Overseas buyers please check delivery charges through eBay Global Shipping program.
Dal is a lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of the
Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is now
an urban lake, the second largest lake in Jammu and Kashmir, and the most
visited place in Srinagar by tourists and locals.
Dal is mentioned as Mahasarit (Sanskrit: महासरित्) in ancient
Sanskrit texts. Ancient history records mention that a village named Isabar to
the east of Dal was the residence of goddess Durga. This place was known as
Sureshwari on the bank of the lake, which was sourced by a spring called the
Satadhara. During the Mughal period, the Mughal rulers of India designated
Kashmir, Srinagar in particular, as their summer resort. They developed the
precincts of the Dal in Srinagar with sprawling Mughal-type gardens and
pavilions as pleasure resorts to enjoy the salubrious cool climate.
During the Dogra Raj, Srinagar became the capital of Dogra
territory, attracted by the cool climate of the Kashmir valley, amidst the back
drop of the majestic snow covered Himalayan ranges.
Although the Dogra Maharaja of Kashmir restricted the
building of houses in the valley, the British circumvented this rule by
commissioning lavish houseboats to be built on the Dal. The houseboats have
been referred to as, "each one a little piece of England afloat on
Dal."
After the independence of India, the Kashmiri Hanji people
have built, owned and maintained these houseboats, cultivating floating gardens
and producing commodities for the market, making them the centre of their
livelihoods. The houseboats, closely associated with Dal also provide
accommodation in Srinagar. Following the Mughal, Afghan, Sikh and Dogra rule,
the place has earned the epithet, "Jewel in the crown of Kashmir".