The Monkeys and Bears Build a Bridge to Lanka

Currently not on view

The Monkeys and Bears Build a Bridge to Lanka

c. 1850

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Well-armed but dressed in skins and leaves to indicate their status as exiles, the divine Prince Rama and his brother Lakshmana sit on the southern shore of India. They look across the water to the island of Lanka where Rama's wife, Sita, is imprisoned by the demon Ravana. Rama instructs his allied armies of monkeys and bears to build a bridge to Lanka. The two most common types of Indian monkeys come together for this work-red-faced, rusty-coated, and stocky rhesus macaques and black-faced, gray-coated, and lanky Hanuman langurs. They are joined by an army of long-nosed sloth bears, a species common across India. The animals hurl boulders into the ocean to form the causeway, seen at the left, that cuts through a swirling ocean inhabited by a great variety of real and imaginary sea creatures.

Object Details

Title:

The Monkeys and Bears Build a Bridge to Lanka
Page from a dispersed series of the Ramayana (Legend of Lord Rama)

Date:

c. 1850

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 11 7/8 × 17 1/4 inches (30.2 × 43.8 cm) Sheet: 14 7/8 × 20 3/8 inches (37.8 × 51.8 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lessing J. Rosenwald, 1959

Accession Number:

1959-93-82

Geography:

Made in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia

We are always open to learning more about our collections and updating the website. Does this record contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Contact us here.

Please note that this particular artwork might not be on view when you visit. Don’t worry—we have plenty of exhibitions for you to explore.

Currently not on view