A wedding ritual celebrated by women of the palace (painting, recto), illustration from a Ramayana series

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 1973.169
Title: A wedding ritual celebrated by women of the palace (painting, recto), illustration from a Ramayana series
Classification: Manuscripts
Work Type: manuscript folio
Date: 18th - 19th century
Places: Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Sirohi
Culture: Indian
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/216422

Physical Descriptions

Medium: Opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 25.5 x 30.1 cm (10 1/16 x 11 7/8 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of John Kenneth Galbraith
Accession Year: 1973
Object Number: 1973.169
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions: The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Description: This painting depicts a wedding ritual primarily undertaken by women. In the center, the four brides of the four sons of Dasharatha are seated under a festive tent, and royal women surround them. In the pavilion on the right, a royal lady is seated, most likely Rama’s mother, Kaushalya. The scene might depict a moment from the celebrations to mark the wedding of the princes, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna.
This folio possibly belongs to a Ramayana manuscript produced in Sirohi. This manuscript is notable for its vibrant blue background, achieved through the use of the pigment Prussian blue. Other folios from the same manuscript in the Harvard Art Museums’ collections are 1973.164, 1973.165, 1973.166.A, 1973.166.B, 1973.167, 1973.168.A, 1973.168.B, 1973.170.A, 1973.170.B, 1973.171. Rajput, Rajasthani, Sirohi School.

Exhibition History

Ambassador's Choice: The Galbraith Collection of Indian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 02/15/1986 - 04/06/1986
ReVisions, Indian Artists Engaging Traditions , Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, 04/04/2009 - 01/10/2010

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Add to Collection

Log in to the Harvard Art Museums