The Death of Valin and Tara's Discourse

Currently not on view

The Death of Valin and Tara's Discourse

c. 1720

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

This scene from the Ramayana series is the climax of the struggle for rule of the monkey kingdom. Rama confronts Sugriva's brother, Valin, the legitimate king of the monkeys, and kills him. This painting depicts the moment after the fight when Valin lies dying in the arms of his wife Tara. Their son Angada grasps his father's feet and Hanuman, the monkey general, kneels nearby. Sugriva, now mourning his brother and feeling intense guilt at his role in the death, stands to the side. He talks with Rama and Lakshmana, who wear leaf garments to show they still live in forest exile. The long text on the reverse of the page recounts Tara's lament that Rama, born to uphold world order, has sinned against it in his unjust murder of her husband.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

The Death of Valin and Tara's Discourse
Page from a dispersed series of the Ramayana

Date:

c. 1720

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor, gold, and silver-colored paint on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 6 9/16 × 10 7/16 inches (16.7 × 26.5 cm) Sheet: 8 1/4 × 12 3/16 inches (21 × 31 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

125th Anniversary Acquisition. Alvin O. Bellak Collection, 2004

Accession Number:

2004-149-30

Geography:

Made in Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia or made in Jammu and Kashmir, India, Asia

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Currently not on view