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The Gods Are Ousted by an Army of Demons, folio from the unfinished Small Guler series of the Bhagavata Purana

Manaku Indian

ca. 1740

Not on view

In this dynamic scene typical of Manaku’s late work, the gods retreat while a wild horde of demons emerges from a fortified palace. The artist’s process is evident: first, he freely drew the composition with a pencil, erasing and reworking many lines. Next, using a brush charged with ink, he began to refine figures in the lower left, such as Ganesha who sits on his rat vehicle (vahana) and looks back at the advancing demons. This sketch is one of nearly a thousand illustrated pages of the Bhagavata Purana that the artist created at the end of his life but never finished

The Gods Are Ousted by an Army of Demons, folio from the unfinished Small Guler series of the Bhagavata Purana, Manaku (Indian, active ca. 1725–60), Drawing in brush and black ink, India, Punjab Hills, kingdom of Guler — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: The Gods Are Ousted by an Army of Demons, folio from the unfinished Small Guler series of the Bhagavata Purana

Artist: Manaku (Indian, active ca. 1725–60)

Date: ca. 1740

Culture: India, Punjab Hills, kingdom of Guler

Medium: Drawing in brush and black ink

Dimensions: Image: 7 1/8 × 11 1/8 in. (18.1 × 28.3 cm)
Overall: 8 11/16 × 12 1/2 in. (22 × 31.7 cm)
Mat: 14 1/4 in. × 18 in. (36.2 × 45.7 cm)

Classification: Codices

Credit Line: Promised Gift of Steven Kossak, The Kronos Collections

Accession Number: L.2018.44.21

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Asian Art at The Met

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