Sep 14, 2022
Mar 15, 2013
Sep 14, 2022

The Monkeys and Bears Fight Ravana and His Demons (verso), from a Romance of Chandrabhanu and Lavanyavati of Upendra Bhanja (Indian, died 1740)

The Monkeys and Bears Fight Ravana and His Demons (verso), from a Romance of Chandrabhanu and Lavanyavati of Upendra Bhanja (Indian, died 1740)

late 1700s

Part of a set. See all set records

Charcoal on palm leaf

Overall: 4.8 x 40.2 cm (1 7/8 x 15 13/16 in.)

Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1979.21.b

Location

Description

This leaf from an 18th-century romance manuscript comes from a section of the book that retells the epic battle between the demon Ravana and the god-hero Rama. The 10-headed multiarmed demon Ravana is the second figure from the right. Rama’s army of monkeys and bears, wielding tree branches and clods of earth, fill the remainder of the leaf. The images were created using a stylus that incised into the palm leaf; charcoal was then rubbed over the leaf and wiped off, leaving only the incised areas in black.

See also
Collection: 
Indian Art
Type of artwork: 
Painting

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