The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Hanuman with Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders, from a Kalighat album

Hanuman with Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders, from a Kalighat album

c. 1890
Gum tempera, graphite, ink, and tin on paper
Overall: 68.8 x 42.6 cm (27 1/16 x 16 3/4 in.); Painting: 45.6 x 29.4 cm (17 15/16 x 11 9/16 in.)
Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward 2003.120
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Hanuman can change his size and form at will, even making himself colossal in order to carry the two princes.

Description

A simplified but bold color palette of orange, yellow, and green with silvery accents gives this image of Rama, Lakshmana, and their monkey ally Hanuman a sense of rhythm and urgency. Riding on Hanuman’s shoulders, the hero Rama—painted green—and his brother Lakshmana search for Rama’s abducted wife Sita. At the bottom of the painting, an informal scrawl contemplates the identification of the colossal figure as either the “Great Hero” Hanuman or Sugriva, but the image of a devoted tawny monkey carrying the two brothers unambiguously indicates Hanuman, Rama’s most faithful follower.
  • ?–2003
    William E. Ward [1922–2004], Solon, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2003–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings: The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Oriental Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1986. Reproduced: cat. no. 48, p. 243.
  • Imagining Rama's Journey (Indian Painting rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 10-September 17, 2023).
    Indian Kalighat Paintings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 1-September 18, 2011).
  • {{cite web|title=Hanuman with Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders, from a Kalighat album|url=false|author=|year=c. 1890|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2003.120