Nala and Damayanti
The tale of King Nala and his beloved wife Damayanti is one of the best-known romantic dramas in the epic Mahabharata. It is retold in the famous Naishadha Charita, a Sanskrit epic written by the philosopher Shriharsha in the twelfth century. In this poem, Nala loses everything he owns in a game of dice and the couple is forced into exile in the forest, home to serpents (nagas) and demons (asuras). The unfortunate royals have numerous misadventures before all is restored. Here this melodrama is set in a landscape that evokes northern Europe, just as the rendering reflects European-style spatial treatment, figure modeling, and perspective. The effect is that of a painted backdrop for a theatrical production.
Artwork Details
- Title: Nala and Damayanti
- Date: 1878–82
- Culture: India, Kolkata, West Bengal
- Medium: Lithograph with black ink, watercolor, and glaze on paper
- Dimensions: Sheet: 15 7/8 × 21 5/8 in. (40.3 × 54.9 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.210
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Indian (North)
late 19th century
Designed and published by Sasadhar Banarjee
ca. 1875–85
British, Staffordshire
ca. 1820–30
Painting attributed to Bhawani Das
ca. 1777–82
India, Kolkata, West Bengal,
ca. 1878–83
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