The Monkey King and His Army Pledge Their Support to Rama

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The Monkey King and His Army Pledge Their Support to Rama

c. 1675

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Paintings from Malwa are celebrated for their deceptive directness. The rich, scarlet background of this painting, for example, is included not as a strange landscape, but more as a theater backdrop in front of which the dramatic Ramayana unfolds. Hanuman is likely one of the monkeys, set off by the red ground, who witnesses the pledge of friendship between Rama and Sugriva. The figures are arranged simply, almost in defiance of the psychologically intense moment that is enacted. The painting, in fact, is a study of balanced contrasts where circles meet squares, monkeys meet humans, complementary colors collide, and large areas of solid color vie with minute details.

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Object Details

Title:

The Monkey King and His Army Pledge Their Support to Rama
Page from a dispersed series of the Ramayana

Date:

c. 1675

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 7 3/8 × 10 11/16 inches (18.7 × 27.1 cm) Sheet: 7 15/16 × 11 3/16 inches (20.2 × 28.4 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Purchased with funds contributed by an anonymous donor, 1990

Accession Number:

1990-11-1

Geography:

Made in Madhya Pradesh, Malwa Region, India, Asia

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