A folio from The Ramayana: The golden abode of King Ravana

INDIA, KANGRA, CIRCA 1775-80

Details

A folio from The Ramayana: The golden abode of King Ravana
India, Kangra, circa 1775-80
Depicting Ravana's luxurious golden palace with his demon armies ready for battle, the ten-headed king shown twice, once in a pavilion in the upper left and again in a chariot inside the palace walls at middle right, the forlorn Sita shown standing in an arched window in the distant background at center, all surrounded by a floral blue border and pink borders
Opaque pigments and gold on wasli
8½ x 12½ in. (21.5 x 31.7 cm.), image

Provenance

Doris Wiener Gallery, New York, 1976

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Lot Essay

At this point in the Ramayana, Sita, the wife of Rama, has been abducted by the ten-headed king of Lanka, Ravana. It is possible that this painting illustrates Ravana leaving the palace to meet Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman in battle. Other folios from this manuscript are in the Ehrenfield collection, see D. Ehnbom, Indian Minaitures: The Ehrenfeld Collection, 1985, p. 234-236, cat. no. 116-118.

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