Mara Bringing the Demons to Life
mid-18th century
Medium
Ink and wash on paper
Dimensions
Image (sight): 8 1/2 x 12 1/8 in. (21.6 x 30.8 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture
India (Pahari Hills, Guler)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Subhash Kapoor, in memory of his parents, Smt Shashi Kanta and Shree Parshotam Ram Kapoor, 2008
Accession Number
2008.359.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
This evocative ink-and-wash drawing, created in the mid-18th century in Guler in the Pahari Hills of northern India, captures a dramatic moment from Buddhist legend. Attributed to Manaku of the Seu family, a master of the Guler school, the work depicts Mara, the embodiment of temptation, summoning demonic forces to disrupt the Buddha’s path to enlightenment. Such narrative scenes were popular in Pahari courts, where artists blended local storytelling traditions with refined visual language to convey spiritual themes. Executed in delicate ink washes on paper, the medium allowed Manaku to achie...
About the Artist
Seu Family|Manaku ( |Indian) · |1715 – |1770
|Indian, active ca. 1725–60