Râmâyana manuscript page: Rama kills the deer (folio no. 31) / Artist Unknown, India, Central India, Malwa School
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1964/2.111
- Title
- Râmâyana manuscript page: Rama kills the deer (folio no. 31)
- Artist Nationality
- Indian
- Medium and Support
- ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
- Object Creation Date
- 1635-1650
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- India (nation)
- Madhya Pradesh (state)
- Malwa
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- India (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Madhya Pradesh (state)
- Creation Place 4
- Malwa
- Style/Group/Movement
- Malwa School
- Dimensions
- 18.7 cm x 15.6 cm (7 3/8 in. x 6 1/8 in.)
- Century
- 17th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Painting
- Primary Object Type
- narrative painting
- Secondary Object Classification
- Painting
- Secondary Object Type
- figures on landscape
- Physical Description
- The artist has captured the story of the deer hunt with the fewest possible elements, in a way that is instantly recognizable and yet takes liberties with the classical tale. The forest is represented by two trees and a few sprays of foliage; the deer is a mundane gray, not magical gold; and Sita waits anxiously in a white marble pavilion, rather than a thatched hut. The vibrantly colored backgrounds divide the composition into zones that create mood and organize the narrative.
- Subject Matter
- This scene portrays a dramatic moment in the Ramayana. The blue-skinned Rama (a human manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu) had been unjustly exiled from his father’s kingdom to the forest, where he dwelt with his brother Lakshmana and his wife, Sita. One day a beautiful golden deer appeared and lured the men away from their forest dwelling. When Rama shot the deer, it reverted to its true shape as a demon—shown dying in the lower part of the painting. Realizing that they had been duped, the brothers raced back to the hut to find that Sita had been abducted in their absence.
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- associated concepts
- document genres
- document genres by function
- information forms
- mammals
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by state or condition
- religions
- religions and religious concepts
- religious concepts
- religious texts
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 800 x 936
- File Size
- 100 KB
- Record
- 1964/2.111
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1964-sl-2.111/1964_2.111.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1964-SL-2.111:1964_2.111.JPG
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- Full citation
-
"Râmâyana manuscript page: Rama kills the deer (folio no. 31); Artist Unknown, India, Central India, Malwa School." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1964-sl-2.111/1964_2.111.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.