Artwork Page for The Monkeys and Bears Fight Ravana and His Demons (verso), from a Romance of Chandrabhanu and Lavanyavati of Upendra Bhanja (Indian, died 1740)

Details / Information for The Monkeys and Bears Fight Ravana and His Demons (verso), from a Romance of Chandrabhanu and Lavanyavati of Upendra Bhanja (Indian, died 1740)

The Monkeys and Bears Fight Ravana and His Demons (verso), from a Romance of Chandrabhanu and Lavanyavati of Upendra Bhanja (Indian, died 1740)

late 1700s

Eastern India, Odisha

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Medium
Charcoal on palm leaf
Measurements
Overall: 4.8 x 40.2 cm (1 7/8 x 15 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1979.21.b
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

This leaf from an 18th-century romance manuscript comes from a section of the book that retells the epic battle between the demon Ravana and the god-hero Rama. The 10-headed multiarmed demon Ravana is the second figure from the right. Rama’s army of monkeys and bears, wielding tree branches and clods of earth, fill the remainder of the leaf. The images were created using a stylus that incised into the palm leaf; charcoal was then rubbed over the leaf and wiped off, leaving only the incised areas in black.
A horizontally oriented charcoal drawing on a palm leaf fragment depicts a stylized, intricate battle scene. On our far left, a figure rides in an ornate chariot. Moving right, monkey-like figures with long tails throw stones and fire arrows. A circular hole pierces the center. On our far right, the multi-headed and multi-armed Ravana brandishes a shield against several archers. The scene is rendered in black ink on a tan, irregular strip.

The Monkeys and Bears Fight Ravana and His Demons (verso), from a Romance of Chandrabhanu and Lavanyavati of Upendra Bhanja (Indian, died 1740)

late 1700s

Eastern India, Odisha

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