NARRATOR:
During the Chola period, devotees often commissioned a popular group of four bronzes for Vishnu temples. These bronzes celebrate the main characters of the great Hindu epic poem, the Ramayana--its hero, the god Rama; his wife Sita; his brother Lakshmana; and the chief of the monkey army, Hanuman. You’ll find an image of Hanuman to your right. The Ramayana tells the enthralling story of the loss of Rama's throne; his exile from his kingdom, the abduction of his wife, and her daring rescue.
It is unclear whether this graceful figure represents Rama or his loyal brother. Although they are deified in the text, both characters are typically depicted as humans, with only two arms. Usually, both stand with their weight on one leg and grasp a bow in their left hand and an arrow in their right, attributes which are missing here. Some scholars identify this sculpture as Lakshmana, because he is depicted as a youthful, almost adolescent male. Others believe that it represents Rama because of the small triangular mark, called a srivasta, above the right nipple. Rama is one of Vishnu’s ten incarnations and images of Vishnu sometimes have these marks.
Rama or Lakshmana
11th century
Asia: India, Tamil Nadu
On View
Details
- Title: Rama or Lakshmana
- Date: 11th century
- Medium: Bronze
- Dimensions: 30 1/2 x 16 x 10 1/2 in. (77.5 x 40.6 x 26.7 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1975.17.05.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
- Dehejia, Vidya, Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, fig. 14 p. 45
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, no. 179 p. 252
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1250 p. 386
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