Bhima’s consultation with the astrologer, from a Nala-Damayanti

c. 1790–1800

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

Medium

Gum tempera and ink on paper

Measurements

Overall: 22.2 x 33.5 cm (8 3/4 x 13 3/16 in.)

Credit Line

Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1936.684

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Location

242B Indian Painting

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Did You Know?

This drawing is part of a series of forty-eight, most of which are held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Description

In the central pavilion, King Bhima, father of Princess Damayanti, receives favorable signs from his astrologers for her marriage to her beloved, Nala. In the upper left corner, King Bhima tells the good news to his daughter, while messengers inform Nala in the upper right. This lyrical series depicts scenes from an extended romantic poem of the 1100s, based on an episode from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.

The plan to create a painted series illustrating the story was not fully realized. Forty-seven paintings were completed, but another 65, including this page, remain unfinished, revealing underdrawings and the first application of color.