Râmâyana manuscript page: Rama kills the deer (folio no. 31) / Artist Unknown, India, Central India, Malwa School

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Record Details

Accession Number
1964/2.111
Title
Râmâyana manuscript page: Rama kills the deer (folio no. 31)
Artist Nationality
Indian
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.
Primary Keywords
deer
gods
hindu
hinduism
ramayana
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Technical Details

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

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1964-SL-2.111:1964_2.111.JPG

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"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.
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