Arts of the Islamic World & India
Arts of the Islamic World & India
Estimate
35,000 - 45,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Sanskrit manuscript on paper, 294 leaves, 16 lines to the page, written in takri and devanagari scripts in black ink, titles in red, with narrow orange border and polychrome rules, f.1v and f.4r with illuminated frontispiece, f.4v with illuminated border with notes within and around the margins, comprising 16 miniatures with gouache heightened with gold and silver on thicker paper, in later binding
painting: 18.3 by 11.3cm. (largest)
leaf: 23.8 by 15.5cm.
The sixteen paintings included in the manuscript depict the following scenes from various sections of the Ramayana:
Bala Kanda:
-Ganesha seated with his consort on a a lotus throne
-King Dasaratha performs a ritual to appease the Gods so that he could be blessed with sons
-Rama and Lakshmana battle Tataka and other demons in the forest near the sage Vishvamitra’s hermitage
-Rama breaking the Bow of Shiva in Mithila and winning King Janaka’s daughter, Sita's, hand in marriage
Ayodhya Kanda:
-Rama, Lakshmana and Sita accompanied by a sage seek Vishnu’s blessings
-Rama, Lakshmana and Sita leaving for exile from Ayodhya
Aranya Kanda:
-Scenes of exile in the Panchavati forest (2)
-Ravana disguised as an ascetic luring Sita out of the forest cottage while Rama and Lakshmana chase the demon Maricha who has assumed the form of a golden deer
-The ten-headed Ravana attacking the vulture, Jatayu, while Sita throws down her ornaments to leave a trail for the monkeys to follow; Ravana then carries Sita off to Lanka
Kishkindha Kanda:
-Rama kills the monkey king, Bali, and helps his younger brother Sugriva gain the kingdom of Kishkindha
Sundara Kanda:
-Hanuman secretly visits Sita in Ashoka Vatika in Lanka where she is being guarded by Ravana's demonesses
-Hanuman and the monkey army build a bridge to Lanka
Yuddha Kanda:
-Two young noblemen come to visit Rama and Lakshamana, one of them possibly Ravana’s brother Vibhisana
-Hanuman carries the entire Mountain Gandhamadhana to Rama so that Lakshmana, injured by Ravana's son Indrajeet, can be cured with the life-giving Sanjeevani herb that grows on its peaks
-Rama slays Ravana in battle
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