ManuscriptsIndian19th century

Hanuman Before Rama, Sita and Lakshmana (painting, recto), Illustration from a Ramayana Series

18th - 19th century

Description

This painting depicts the blue-skinned Rama, the seventh avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, alongside his wife, Sita, seated on a throne. His brother, Lakshmana, who has dedicated his life to Rama, stands beside them with a peacock-feathered fly-whisk in his hand. The monkey-god Hanuman kneels before Rama and Sita, showing his intense devotion towards Rama. The figures are set within a floral landscape, matched by the floral designs which serve as borders for the painting. This folio, possibly a frontispiece for a manuscript, may have belonged to the illustrated Ramayana series produced in Sirohi. This manuscript is notable for its vibrant blue background, achieved through the use of the pigment Prussian blue. While this painting does not have the characteristic Prussian blue background, stylistically the figures are rendered in a similar fashion to those from the series (for instance, Sita’s outfit bears resemblance to the outfits of females in the other Sirohi Ramayana folios). Other folios from the same manuscript in the Harvard Art Museums’ collections are 1973.164, 1973.165, 1973.166.A, 1973.166.B, 1973.167, 1973.168.A, 1973.168.B, 1973.169, 1973.170.A, 1973.170.B. Rajput, Rajasthani, Sirohi School.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Opaque watercolor on paper

Culture

Indian

Century

19th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art