Watercolour highlighted with silver pigment on paper
The painters around Kalighat temple in Calcutta created paintings as souvenirs for pilgrims in a blend of folk and Western styles. Besides the singular images of goddesses Kali and Durga, they made paintings on episodes from religious epics, and later, even social satires. The work here is a pan-Indian iconography showing Ram and Sita on the throne as king and queen with monkey-god Hanuman, their inseparable companion, in attendance. The second female figure could be Kaykeyi, the evil stepmother from Ramayana. Interesting is the Mughal inspired jewellery and crowns of Ram and Sita, and the canopy of the throne.
published references
Singh, Kishore, ed., Masterpieces of Indian Modern Art (New Delhi: DAG, 2016), p. 51
Kalighat Pats
Coronation of Rama
c. mid-19th century
Watercolour highlighted with silver pigment on paper
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Kalighat Pats
Coronation of Rama
c. mid-19th century
Watercolour highlighted with silver pigment on paper
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