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

Not on view

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 the beautiful Damayanti, receives favorable signs from his astrologers for the marriage of his daughter 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. Musicians and dancers already begin to celebrate.

This lyrical series depicts scenes from the extended romantic poem of the 1100s, based on an episode from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.