Artist
Raja Ravi Varma
Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, 1848–1906
Raja Ravi Varma was a Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor Indian Miniature artist. 2 works are cataloged here, principally at Ashmolean Museum. Raja Ravi Varma was born in Kilimanoor.
Raja Ravi Varma (Malayalam: ) (29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter. His works are one of the best examples of the fusion of European academic art with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography. He greatly enhanced his reach and influence as a painter and public figure by making affordable lithographs of his paintings available to the public.
His lithographs increased the involvement of common people with fine arts and defined artistic tastes. Furthermore, his religious depictions of Hindu deities and works from Indian epic poetry and Puranas have received critical acclaim. He was part of the royal family of Parappanad, Malappuram district.
Raja Ravi Varma was closely related to the royal family of Travancore of present-day Kerala state in India. Later in his life, two of his granddaughters were adopted into the royal family.
Works by Raja Ravi Varma
Collections represented
