AN ILLUSTRATION FROM A RAMAYANA SERIES: RAMA AND BHARATA MEETING IN THE FOREST
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE LONDON COLLECTION
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, Eastern India, 18th century

Opaque pigments and ink on paper, the horizontal composition depicting the moment Bharata, the eldest brother of Rama and regent of Ayodhya, after looking for Rama in the forest eventually finds him and begs for forgiveness, hoping for Rama to return from his exile and to assume the throne, on the right the crowned king depicted standing and addressing Rama, as symbolised by his stretched arm and hand with upward palm, Rama impassively standing on the opposite side with his bow and arrow in hands, two pairs of attendants in the background and a pair of sadhus in the foreground all in conversation, mirroring the distancing between Rama and Bharata, a black ink inscription on the upper left corner, pasted onto a later white cardboard mount, mounted, glazed and framed, the folio 22.5cm x 30.5cm, 43cm x 51cm including the frame.

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 17 December 1969, lot 166.