Samarth Ramdas (Ram Das)

ca. 1900

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 251

Ramdas (1608–1681) was a Hindu saint, theologian, and composer of devotional hymns best remembered for his devotion to Rama and Hanuman, to whom he established many shrines during his lifetime spent in the Deccan region of Maharashtra. He is also famed as the spiritual advisor to the Marathi ruler Shivaji. Here, he is dressed in an ascetic’s loincloth and wears beads and temple sandals (padukas). In his hands are a rosary and a wood armrest. The leopard skin draped over his shoulders serves as his mediation seat. Ramdas was renowned for rigorous daily exercises integral to his yogic practices. In this print he is depicted in a pastoral landscape evocative of the European countryside. However, the mesas on the horizon securely situate Ramdas in the Deccan plateau.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Samarth Ramdas (Ram Das)
Date: ca. 1900
Culture: India, Karla-Lonavala, Maharashtra
Medium: Chromolithograph on paper
Dimensions: Image: 14 1/4 × 10 in. (36.2 × 25.4 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Mark Baron and Elise Boisanté, 2016
Object Number: 2016.499.1
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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