Plate Inscribed with Flying Figure of Hanuman Holding a Flag, Mace and Spear / Artist Unknown, India, Rajasthan

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Record Details

Accession Number
1978/2.89
Title
Plate Inscribed with Flying Figure of Hanuman Holding a Flag, Mace and Spear
Artist Nationality
Indian
Medium and Support
copper
Object Creation Date
18th century - 19th century
Object Creation Place
Asia (continent)
India (nation)
Rajasthan (state)
Creation Place 1
Asia (continent)
Creation Place 2
India (nation)
Creation Place 3
Rajasthan (state)
Style/Group/Movement
copper
Dimensions
23.5 cm x 18 cm (9 1/4 in. x 7 1/16 in.)
Primary Object Classification
Ritual Objects
Primary Object Type
figure
Secondary Object Classification
Metalwork
Secondary Object Type
figure
Physical Description
Hanuman is depicted with a human body and a monkey head. The image is incised on the plate and his body is entirely textured with characters in the devanagari script. Often merely the letter ‘r’ designating the god Rama with whom he is associated. He is in a striding posture and there are a number of sections of text scattered around the image. At his feet is a human figure walking in the opposite direction. He holds a double flag consisting of two triangular shapes facing him in his left hand along with a thin club. One appears to emanating from his mouth? His right hand is lifted with an arrow above it and his tail curves behind him. There is also a small altar depicting the two feet of Rama in the area between his outstretched leg and the end of a scarf wrapped around his body.
Subject Matter
The monkey Hanuman, often referred to as a monkey god, figures prominently in the epic, the Ramayana, telling the story of the incarnation of Vishnu and his war against the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. He is the most important of the monkey hosts and served important function in the story. He is often sculpted to fit into a set of sculptures depicting the god Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, and his brother Lakshman and his wife Sita. The groups sometimes signify the coronation of the god Rama, which is the end of the story, but sometimes the grouping is of them all standing. He has a devotional following of his own and is usually depicted as a human with a monkey’s head. In this engraving he takes a completely religious role being made up of devotional phrases.
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Technical Details

Image Size
949 x 1289
File Size
151 KB
Record
1978/2.89
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1978-sl-2.89/1978_2.89.jpg

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1978-SL-2.89:1978_2.89.JPG

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"Plate Inscribed with Flying Figure of Hanuman Holding a Flag, Mace and Spear; Artist Unknown, India, Rajasthan." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1978-sl-2.89/1978_2.89.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.
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