Description
In a morally ambiguous scene, the white monkey Sugriva calls to his brother Vali, the rightful king of the forest-dwellers, to emerge from a cave. Behind him, the blue hero Rama hides with his brother and monkey ally Hanuman. Clutching a deadly three-pronged arrow, Rama prepares to slay Vali, so Sugriva will rise as king and be obliged to help locate Rama’s lost wife.
Paintings from this series illustrate a local Himalayan Ramayana. Their distinctive style incorporates rock formations and textiles reinterpreted from Mughal sources, probably brought to Nurpur when the Mughal emperor retreated there during the hot season.
Paintings from this series illustrate a local Himalayan Ramayana. Their distinctive style incorporates rock formations and textiles reinterpreted from Mughal sources, probably brought to Nurpur when the Mughal emperor retreated there during the hot season.
Provenance
(William H. Wolff, Inc., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1973); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1973–)
Sugriva challenges his brother Vali, King of the Forest Dwellers, to a duel, folio 10 from the Kishkindha Kanda (Book of Kishkindha) of a Ramayana (Rama’s Journey)
c. 1700–1720
Accession Number
1973.103
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Painting: 16.4 x 26.8 cm (6 7/16 x 10 9/16 in.); Overall: 20.7 x 31 cm (8 1/8 x 12 3/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
