AN ILLUSTRATION FROM THE RAMAYANA: RAMA BATTLES RAVANA

NORTH INDIA, MANDI, CIRCA 1790

Details

AN ILLUSTRATION FROM THE RAMAYANA: RAMA BATTLES RAVANA
NORTH INDIA, MANDI, CIRCA 1790
Depicting the ten-headed demon Ravana standing at right and brandishing all manners of weapons, and Hanuman, Laxman in yellow and Rama in red at left, Rama looking into a bowl of water while aiming his arrow towards a bee that has flown from the mouth of Ravana's donkey head, all against a brown background with blue sky at top and surrounded by orange borders, a takri inscription at upper left
Opaque pigments on wasli
5 7/8 x 8¼ in. (14.8 x 20.9 cm.)

Provenance

Doris Wiener Gallery, New York, early 1970s

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

Though Ravana is known to be a demon, the additional donkey head above his ten heads symbolizes his true evil nature. For an example of the same scene from Bilaspur, see L. Leach, Indian Miniature Painting and Drawings, The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Oriental Art, Part One, 1986, p. 269, cat. no. 108

More from The Doris Wiener Collection

View All