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Sita asks Rama to fetch the golden deer, from the “Shangri” Ramayana

Unknown

1712

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Baroque Mughal Painting 18th Century Mythology Himachal Pradesh

Dominant colour

Sita asks Rama to fetch the golden deer, from the “Shangri” Ramayana is a 1712 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, depicting Himachal Pradesh, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1712 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a forest clearing at dusk: a woman in red pleads with a warrior while a golden deer leaps between trees. A second man, arms crossed, watches with a frown. The deer isn’t real—it’s a demon in disguise, luring the hero away so a villain can kidnap the woman. The artist used tiny dots of color to make the deer’s hide glitter like jewels, a trick that fools the eye from across the room. If you like these glowing hill-country scenes, look up the subject pahari kingdoms.

The story of this work

Overview

Sita exclaims to Rama, “What an exquisite deer! He has stolen my heart away. Please catch him for me, my great-armed husband. He shall be our plaything. . . . Never before have we seen an animal such as this. His body sparkles with different colors and is speckled with chips of precious stones; he illuminates the entire forest, for with his golden hide and horns of precious gems, he shows all the brilliance of the morning sun, all the luster of the starry heavens.” Lakshmana is suspicious and warns against having anything to do with the enchanting deer.