Bharata and Shatrughna Return to Ayodhya, folio 116 from a Ramayana series
c. 1700-1725
Asia: India, State of Rajasthan, Mewār
Not on View

The Ramayana (Tale of Rama), authored by the Sanskrit poet Valmiki, was transmitted orally prior to being written down sometime around the start of the Common Era. Prince Rama, the eldest son of King Dasaratha, is sent into exile for 14 years because his evil stepmother Kaikeyi wants her son Bharata to be the next king.

The kingdom of Mewar was a major artistic center, and many editions of the Ramayana were created there in the 17th and 18th centuries. Paintings from this area are noted for their vibrant palettes, simplified monochromatic backgrounds and direct mode of representing the events of the story, often with many scenes included in one painting. Along the top of each painting, within a ochre band, are one or two lines of text written in a vernacular nagari script containing the page number and a brief description of the events depicted.

Details

  • Title: Bharata and Shatrughna Return to Ayodhya, folio 116 from a Ramayana series
  • Date: c. 1700-1725
  • Medium: opaque watercolor and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: 10-1/2 x 16-3/4 in. (26.7 x 42.5 cm)
  • Credit Line: Norton Simon Museum, Gift of Narendra & Rita Parson Family Trust
  • Accession Number: P.2008.2.8
  • Copyright: © Norton Simon Museum

Object Information

Exceptionally Gifted: Recent Donations to the Norton Simon Museum (2002-2008)

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2009-04-17 to 2009-08-31

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