Abhimanyu Hunting in a Forest, from a Mahabharata

Historical period(s)
ca. 1885
School
Folk/Popular School
Medium
Opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 30.7 x 42.7 cm (12 1/16 x 16 13/16 in)
Geography
India, Maharashtra state
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1990.73
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album, Painting
Type

Album leaf with painting

Keywords
boar, bow, horse, hunting, India, Lakshmana, Mahabharata, Rama, shield, Surpanakha, tiger
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

The nineteenth-century chitrakathis or picture storytellers of Maharashtra in western India held paintings such as these aloft while they sang the great Indian epics to popular audiences. The style, known as Paithan, is characterized by freely drawn calligraphic contours and tapestry-like patterns of skillfully integrated figures and landscape elements. Although their style is traditional, the pictures are painted on the inexpensive European paper extensively used in nineteenth-century Maharashtra.


This lively painting from a regional retelling of the epic Mahabharata (Great tale of the Bharatas), illustrates the young hero Abhimanyu hunting tiger, boar, porcupine, and hare as his mother Subhadra watches. Freely splashed washes of red paint indicate the slain animals' blood.

Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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