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Jatayu, Ravana and Sita

Unknown

1885

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century Mythology

Dominant colour

Jatayu, Ravana and Sita is a 1885 paint by Unknown, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1885 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows a bright yellow bird with big black wings and a human-like face. On its back sits a small red pavilion with a man and woman inside—he’s holding a ball, she’s standing beside him. A horse with a rider is drawn to the left, looking like it’s running away. The bird’s face is open, as if it’s shouting or in pain, while the pavilion’s red roof contrasts with the yellow background. The style mixes bold colors with simple shapes, almost like a storybook illustration. If you like this mix of bold colors and myth, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

This opaque watercolor painting on paper from 1885 depicts Jatayu attacking Ravana during the abduction of Sita. It is part of a series acquired by the museum in 1950 from Miss M. Steele, whose mother, a Sanskrit scholar at Cambridge, had inherited the collection in 1894. The pictures may have been originally collected by Steele’s grandmother, who had lived in India.

Read the full account in the museum source.