Who painted Shurpanakha demands vengeance, from the "Shangri" Ramayana?

Shurpanakha demands vengeance, from the "Shangri" Ramayana was painted by Unknown in 1700.

Where can I see Shurpanakha demands vengeance, from the "Shangri" Ramayana?

Shurpanakha demands vengeance, from the "Shangri" Ramayana is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Shurpanakha demands vengeance, from the "Shangri" Ramayana?

Shurpanakha demands vengeance, from the "Shangri" Ramayana is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

Shurpanakha demands vengeance, from the "Shangri" Ramayana

Unknown , 1700

Shurpanakha demands vengeance, from the "Shangri" Ramayana is an unspecified painting by the Baroque artist Unknown. It dates from 1700 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The canvas depicts a pivotal episode from the Indian epic Ramayana, focusing on the demon king Ravana and his sister Shurpanakha.

Accession no.: 2018.107
Credit line: Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund

About this work

Overview

Ravana is rendered with ten crowned heads and twenty arms, each hand brandishing a distinct weapon, emphasizing his formidable power.

The canvas depicts a pivotal episode from the Indian epic Ramayana, focusing on the demon king Ravana and his sister Shurpanakha. Ravana is rendered with ten crowned heads and twenty arms, each hand brandishing a distinct weapon, emphasizing his formidable power. Shurpanakha, whose healed nose and ears betray recent injury, implores her brother to exact vengeance against Rama, suggesting the abduction of his wife as a strategy.

Subject & Meaning

The painting captures the moment of Shurpanakha’s renewed resolve for revenge, highlighting familial loyalty among the antagonists of the Ramayana. Her emphatic gesture toward Ravana underscores a narrative turn where personal grievance escalates into a broader conflict, foreshadowing the ensuing battles that define the epic’s moral and heroic dimensions.

Technique & Style

Executed with a lavish application of gold leaf, the work stands out for its opulent surface treatment, surpassing other pieces in the "Shangri" Ramayana series. The artist employs intricate detailing to differentiate the myriad weapons and the multiple heads, while the dynamic poses convey intense emotion and movement, characteristic of narrative Indian painting traditions.

History & Provenance

The painting forms part of the "Shangri" Ramayana collection, a series noted for its elaborate visual storytelling. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art through a donation in the early 21st century, accompanied by documentation linking it to the same workshop that produced the series’ other, less gilded works.

Context

Within the broader epic, Shurpanakha’s appeal to Ravana marks a decisive escalation that leads to the abduction of Sita and the subsequent war. By focusing on this moment, the artwork reflects the thematic emphasis on the consequences of vengeance and the intertwining of personal vendetta with cosmic order in Hindu narrative art.