The Divine Sage Narada Tells the Asuras of Jambha's Death

Gallery 327, Asian Art, third floor (Wood Gallery)

Main Building

The Divine Sage Narada Tells the Asuras of Jambha's Death

c. 1740

Attributed to Manaku of Guler (Indian, active c. 1725–c. 1760)

The master painter Manaku, to whom this work is attributed, helped establish the painting workshop that came to dominate the Pahari region. This drawing illustrates a verse in the eighth section of the Bhagavata Purana, which describes the advent of mankind along with the continuing battles between the devas (gods) and asuras (demons). This page shows the immortal sage Narada as he descends from a cloud to announce Jambha's death to the other demons, three of whom race onto the battlefield to avenge their kinsman.

This drawing shows the initial stages of creating a painting. First, the artist sketched the composition in charcoal, making adjustments as he proceeded. Over the charcoal sketch, he painted a complete underdrawing in black watercolor. He would then have coated the page with white primer and, following the now-faint lines of the underdrawing, created a full, detailed outline drawing, ready to be filled with color.

Gallery 327, Asian Art, third floor (Wood Gallery)

Object Details

Title:

The Divine Sage Narada Tells the Asuras of Jambha's Death
Unfinished page from a dispersed series of the Bhagavata Purana (8:11)

Date:

c. 1740

Artist:

Attributed to Manaku of Guler (Indian, active c. 1725–c. 1760)

Medium:

Opaque watercolor and charcoal on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 7 × 11 1/4 inches (17.8 × 28.6 cm) Sheet: 8 3/16 × 12 1/2 inches (20.8 × 31.8 cm)

Classification:

Drawings

Credit Line:

Gift of Barbara Stoler Miller in honor of Stella Kramrisch, 1986

Accession Number:

1986-111-4

Geography:

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

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Gallery 327, Asian Art, third floor (Wood Gallery)

Main Building

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