Cleveland Museum of Art

Rama and Sita enthroned with Lakshmana and Hanuman attending, from a Kalighat album

Date

c. 1890

Medium

Gum tempera, graphite, tin, and ink on paper

Culture

Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Rama and Sita sit enthroned under a royal parasol held by Rama’s brother Lakshmana. A diminutive Hanuman kneels before them in adoration. The stunning mix of vibrant color animates the otherwise static scene. The local Indian artists who created inexpensive paintings for visitors to the temple at Kalighat were accustomed to creating rapid watercolor paintings with collapsed perspectives and flat backgrounds. Since their workshops were near the British colonial capital of Calcutta (now Kolkata), they were aware of British fashions, such as the Prince Albert mustache. Rama wields the divine bow of Vishnu, which is why he is shown with an arrow in his right hand.

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