Artist

Sajnu of Mandi

Kangra-Lambagraon

Sajnu of Mandi is a Kangra-Lambagraon artist. 1 work is cataloged here, principally at Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sajnu of Mandi was born in Kangra.

Sajnu was a Pahari painter of the early nineteenth century who trained in the Kangra-Guler tradition of the hill states of present-day Himachal Pradesh, in northern India. He sought employment under Raja Ishvari Sen of Mandi, who reigned from 1788 to 1826, and is documented there by dated works presented around 1808. At Mandi his refined Kangra-derived manner, marked by soft tonality, lyrical line, and a quieter palette, reshaped the court's earlier, bolder style.

He worked in opaque watercolor on paper, illustrating Hindu devotional and literary themes such as the Baramasa and images of Vishnu, contributing to a flourishing of painting at the Mandi atelier.

Works by Sajnu of Mandi

Collections represented

Catalog records compiled from museum open-access collections; the artworks shown are in the public domain. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.