The Enticement of Rishyashringa

Currently not on view

The Enticement of Rishyashringa

c. 1635-1640

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

This painting shows an episode from the Ramayana, one of the great Hindu epics. Rishyashringa, a young sage who lived in an isolated forest, was so pure and blessed that a gentle rain perpetually fell on him. One day, a king whose lands were afflicted by drought sent two beautiful young women to tempt Rishyashringa to come to his kingdom, so the sage's rain would replenish the withering crops.

The extensive Ramayana from which this page comes represents one of the first landmarks in Malwa painting. The simplicity of the composition conveys the story with extraordinary clarity. The naked ascetic with his matted hair and the two buxom women stand and gesture as if in a play, while four trees and the empty background efficiently create the lonely forest setting, filled only with the hermit's shrinelike dwelling.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

The Enticement of Rishyashringa
Page from a dispersed series of the Ramayana

Date:

c. 1635-1640

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 4 9/16 × 8 9/16 inches (11.6 × 21.7 cm) Sheet: 7 × 9 1/16 inches (17.8 × 23 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Stella Kramrisch Collection, 1994

Accession Number:

1994-148-524

Geography:

Made in Madhya Pradesh, Malwa Region, India, Asia

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Currently not on view