Bhima's Consultation with the Astrologer: Scene from the Nala-Damayanti Drawings
Unknown Artist
c. 1790–1800
Medium
Gum tempera and ink on paper
Dimensions
22.2 × 33.5 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Edward L. Whittemore Fund
Accession Number
1936.684
About this artwork
In the central pavilion, King Bhima, father of the beautiful Damayanti, receives favorable signs from his astrologers for the marriage of his daughter to her beloved, Nala. In the upper left corner, King Bhima tells the good news to his daughter, while messengers inform Nala in the upper right. Musicians and dancers already begin to celebrate. This lyrical series depicts scenes from the extended romantic poem of the 1100s, based on an episode from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.