Shiva Ravananugrahamurti; woman holding a flywhisk; rearing yali
ca. 1800
Medium
Ink and wash on J. Whatman paper watermarked 1798
Dimensions
Sheet (folded): 16 1/8 × 10 1/16 in. (41 × 25.5 cm) Sheet: 16 1/8 × 20 1/8 in. (41 × 51.1 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture
India, Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2021
Accession Number
2021.334
Art Historical Context
This captivating ink and wash drawing from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, around 1800, depicts Shiva in his Ravananugrahamurti—bestowing a boon upon the demon king Ravana from the Ramayana epic. Flanking the divine figure is a graceful woman holding a flywhisk (chauri), a symbol of royal service, and a dynamic rearing yali, the lion-like mythical creature ubiquitous in Indian temple architecture. Rendered on J. Whatman paper watermarked 1798, the folded sheet (16 1/8 × 10 1/16 in. when closed, unfolding to 16 1/8 × 20 1/8 in.) hints at its portability, perhaps as a devotional sketch or patron's commissi...
About the Artist
Unidentified ( ) · –