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Savitri and Satyaban

ca. 1885–90
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 251
This apocalyptic vision of a famous legend first told in the Mahabharata has all the hallmarks of a Victorian theatrical production, complete with stage-lighting effects. In the tale, the princess Savitri rejects many royal suitors and instead resolves to marry the poor forest dweller Satyavan, a man of high moral virtue who had devoted his life to caring for his blind parents. When Satyavan’s health fails and Yama, the god of death, appears to take his soul, Savitri pleads with Yama to spare him. Here, a horde of the ghostly dead, signifying the Realm of Death (Yamalok), wait impatiently behind Yama to do his bidding. This legend had a resurgence of popularity in nineteenth-century Bengal, as it extolled the Brahmanical vision of the ideal, dutiful wife.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Savitri and Satyaban
  • Date: ca. 1885–90
  • Culture: West Bengal, Kolkata
  • Medium: Chromolithograph with varnish on paper
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 16 × 12 in. (40.6 × 30.5 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2020
  • Object Number: 2020.18
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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