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1 of 253523 objects
राम अवतार Rama Avatar c. 1800
Opaque watercolour including gold-and silver-coloured metallic pigments on paper. | 41 x 27.4 cm (folio dimensions) | RCIN 1005115.j
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f.7
A depiction of Rama, the seventh avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu who takes the form of a prince. According to Hindu belief, he came to earth as the embodiment of virtue and chivalry.
On the right, Rama and his younger brother Lakshmana shoot arrows at the ten-headed demon Ravana, King of Lanka. As narrated in the Ramayana, Ravana abducted Rama’s wife Sita and took her back to his palace on the island of (Sri) Lanka. With the help of his brother Lakshmana and an army of monkeys led by Hanuman (the monkey god), Rama was able to defeat Ravana’s armies and lay siege to Lanka. Flying above them is the tiny figure of Hanuman, the monkey god. On the bridge is Hanuman's army of monkeys and bears beyond which is Sri Lanka where Ravana's palace fort is in flames.Provenance
Presented to King Edward VII when Prince of Wales during his tour of India in 1875 by Mangaldas Nathubhoy.
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Creator(s)
(artist)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Opaque watercolour including gold-and silver-coloured metallic pigments on paper.
Measurements
41 x 27.4 cm (folio dimensions)
18.8 x 11.8 cm (image)
Category
Object type(s)
Featured in
ExhibitionSplendours of the Subcontinent: A Prince's Tour of India 1875-6: Bradford Art Galleries & Museums, Cartwright Hall [Bradford]
Some of the finest treasures presented to the Prince of Wales during his tour of India
PublicationEastern Encounters
Four Centuries of Paintings and Manuscripts from the Indian Subcontinent
ExhibitionEastern Encounters: The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse
The long relationship between the Crown and South Asia