Object Details
School/Tradition
Folk/Popular school
Label
The nineteenth-century chitrakathis or picture storytellers of Maharashtra in western India held paintings such as these aloft while they sang the great Indian epics to popular audiences. The style, known as Paithan, is characterized by freely drawn calligraphic contours and tapestry-like patterns of skillfully integrated figures and landscape elements. Although their style is traditional, the pictures are painted on the inexpensive European paper extensively used in nineteenth-century Maharashtra.
This lively painting from a regional retelling of the epic Mahabharata (Great tale of the Bharatas), illustrates the young hero Abhimanyu hunting tiger, boar, porcupine, and hare as his mother Subhadra watches. Freely splashed washes of red paint indicate the slain animals' blood.
Provenance
?-1990
Michael and Henrietta Spink, Ltd. (established 1988), London, England, method of acquisition unknown [1]
From 1990
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased from Michael and Henrietta Spink, Ltd. [2]
Notes:
[1] See “Custody Receipt,” dated October 24, 1990, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Michael and Henrietta Spink, Ltd. to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery for acquisition consideration on October 24, 1990.
See invoice from Michael and Henrietta Spink, Ltd. issued by Michael C. Spink, dated November 6, 1990, copy in object file. Object is described as “A double sided page from a Ramayana, one side depicting an archer shooting at a tiger and a boar, the other with a swordsman addressing a monkey and a lady, with a chariot behind him.”
Michael and Henrietta Spink, Ltd. (established 1988), in London, England is a dealer of Indian and Islamic works of art, including sculptures, Indian miniature paintings, drawings, ceramics, textiles, and weapons.
[2] See Arthur M. Sackler, “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved ca. late October 1990 or November 1990, copy in object file. Object is described as “Scenes from the Ramayana.”
Research updated July 24, 2023
Collection
National Museum of Asian Art Collection
Exhibition History
Changing Tastes: Indian Paintings of the 18th and 19th Century (December 17, 2000 to July 15, 2001)
Previous custodian or owner
Michael and Henrietta Spink, Ltd. (established 1988)
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds
Date
ca. 1885
Accession Number
S1990.73
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
Opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 30.7 x 42.7 cm (12 1/16 x 16 13/16 in)
Origin
Maharashtra state, India
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
tiger
hunting
boar
horse
Mahabharata
Rama
bow
India
Lakshmana
shield
Surpanakha
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S1990.73