Lakshmana Cuts the Nose of the Demoness Surpanakha, from a Ramayana

Object Details

• Label

  The nineteenth-century chitrakathis or picture storytellers of Maharashtra in western India held paintings such as these aloft while they sang the great Indian epics to popular audiences.

  The style, known as Paithan, is characterized by freely drawn calligraphic contours and tapestry-like patterns of skillfully integrated figures and landscape elements. Although their style is traditional, the pictures are painted on the inexpensive European paper extensively used in nineteenth-century Maharashtra.

  In a popular episode from the epic Ramayana (Story of Rama) in the painting on the right, Rama's brother Lakshmana cuts off the nose of a demoness sexually attracted to the two brothers. The artist cleverly composed Surpanakha's twisted body within the lower left border; the expressive twist of her body creates an unusually empathetic portrayal of the demoness.

  A lively painting from a regional retelling of the epic Mahabharata (Great tale of the Bharatas), on the left, illustrates the young hero Abhimanyu hunting tiger, boar, porcupine, and hare as his mother Subhadra watches. Freely splashed washes of red paint indicate the slain animals' blood.

• Provenance

  19th century-?

  Ownership information unknown

  ?-2000

  Harish K. Patel, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  From 2000

  National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Harish K. Patel [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See “Incoming Receipt,” dated December 10, 1999, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Harish K. Patel to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery for acquisition consideration on December 10, 1999.

  Harish K. Patel is a graphic designer and collector of Indian art in New York, NY. Patel began collecting Indian art in 1988 and in September 2009 he began collecting Indian silver. Objects from his collection may also be found at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

  [2] See Arthur M. Sackler, “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved on May 11, 2000, copy in object file. See also “Deed of Gift to the Arthur M. Sacker Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution,” copy in object file. From 2000-2023 this work was part of the National Museum of Asian Art’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection and on March 21, 2023, the work was internally transferred to the National Museum of Asian Art Collection.

  Research updated August 1, 2023

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Changing Tastes: Indian Paintings of the 18th and 19th Century (December 17, 2000 to July 15, 2001)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Harish K. Patel

• Origin

  Maharashtra state, India

• Credit Line

  Gift of Harish K. Patel

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1800s, 1900s

• Name

  Patel, Harish K.

• Place

  Maharashtra state, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Ramayana, Wars, Art, Lakshmana, Surpanakha

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings