-
Details
- Other Title
- Hanuman, faithful servant of Rama, rescuing Ram and his brother Lakshman
- Place where the work was made
-
Kalighat
→
Kolkata (Calcutta)
→
West Bengal
→
India
- Date
- 1880-1899
- Media categories
- Painting , Watercolour
- Materials used
- watercolour with silver paint on paper
- Dimensions
- 50.2 x 26.4 cm (irreg.)
- Signature & date
Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Purchased 1959
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- EP4.1959
- Copyright
- Artist information
-
Kalighat style
Works in the collection
- Share
-
About
Images such as this are known as Kalighat paintings, after the famous Kalighat temple in Kolkata (Calcutta) dedicated to Kali, the fearsome goddess of time and death. From around 1830, distinctive, quickly painted souvenirs were produced in large numbers for visitors who flocked to the temple. The images were intended to aid domestic worship and typically illustrate Hindu deities. Later, mass-produced prints replaced Kalighat paintings.
This is a scene from the Ramayana, the epic poem recounting the adventures of Prince Rama. It depicts Hanuman, the monkey general, carrying the prince and his brother Lakshmana. Hanuman holds a club in each hand ready to battle with the demon god Ravana, who abducted Rama’s wife Sita and took her to his palace on the island of Langka. Sometimes we find the brothers resting on Hanuman’s strong shoulders, while in others they are bound in his tail. While sometimes found painted black, blue or white, he is always red in his form as Mahavir (the heroic). As the story goes, Hanuman was so impressed by the promise of longevity embodied in sindur, the vermilion pigment that Sita applied to her forehead, he smeared it all over his body.
-
Exhibition history
Shown in 2 exhibitions
Indian Folk Paintings and Textiles, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 29 May 2004–04 Jul 2004
Correspondence, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 10 Sep 2022–2024
-
Bibliography
Referenced in 3 publications
-
Kate Brittlebank, Journal of the History of Collections, 'Anthropology, fine art and missionaries: The Berndt Kalighat album rediscovered', pg.127-142, Oxford, May 2008.
-
Kate Brittlebank, TAASA Review, 'Unexpected Connections: An Australian Kalighat Album Reunited', pg. 4-5, Sydney, Jun 2006.
-
Kate Brittlebank, TAASA Review, "Postscript: Kalighat's Missionaries', pg. 23, Sydney, Dec 2006.
-
-
Provenance
Lucy Thompson, 1890-1951, Adelaide/South Australia/Australia, purchased in Kolkata between 1890 and 1913.
Hans Heysen, pre 1953, Hahndorf/South Australia/Australia
Stefan Heysen, Jun 1959, Hahndorf/South Australia/Australia, by descent
David Jones' Art Gallery, Sydney, 24 Jul 1959, Sydney/New South Wales/Australia, purchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 24 July 1959