The Monkey Prince Angada delivers Rama’s message to Ravana; folio from the Siege of Lanka series
Manaku Indian
Although unfinished, this remarkable work from the series known as the Siege of Lanka has all the grandeur for which that suite of paintings is renowned. Likely commissioned by Dalop Singh (r. 1695–1741), it is attributed to the Guler artist Manaku, who belonged to the most famous lineage of painters of his age. The series illustrates Rama’s siege of Ravana’s palace on Lanka to secure the release of Rama’s wife Sita, as recounted in book six of the Ramayana. We see Rama and his half-brother Lakshmana, together with the general Vibhishana, who commands the armies of bears and monkeys, assembled on a hillside overlooking Ravana’s golden palace. Relevant passages of text are written in ink on the reverse to facilitate narration of the epic by the storyteller.
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