Damayanti

1895

Oleograph on paper

Without mount: 28.5 x 19.4 in (72.5 x 49.5 cm)
With mount: 35 x 25.9 in (89 x 66 cm)

This print was done at The Ravi Varma Fine Arts Lithographic Press, Bombay. V Kamat & Co as sole agents.

Raja Ravi Varma was a master portrait artist and pioneer of popular culture in India, responsible for the mass dissemination of a new visual vocabulary through oleographs. Growing up in his mother's ancestral home, Varma observed women performing daily beauty rituals and tasks, leading to a vast production of amazing paintings depicting women in their natural environment. His brother Raja Raja Varma, who had achieved some fame as a painter himself, taught him about European realism.

The colonisation of India attracted European artists who brought artistic materials, such as oil paints and canvases, and rigorous academic knowledge and training. Varma utilised these tools to elevate his painting skills. His brother introduced him to the palace at Kilimanoor, where he was allowed to practise and study the royal collection of both local and European paintings. A few years later, Varma married into the royal family, cementing his connections and allowing him to further study the art books at the palace and improve his English.

Varma's time at the court also led to the discovery of the Tanjore style of painting, which featured bold colours, static postures, glittering gold foil, and inlay work of gemstones. After five years of practice, Varma sent a painting to the Fine Arts Exhibition in Madras and won the gold medal, overshadowing the work of Ramaswamy Naidu, another prodigious and well-known painter of the time.

After establishing himself locally, Varma travelled to other states, always roaming amidst the most wealthy and powerful ranks of Indian Royal Society. His unique and illustrious output is attributed to his rigorous home schooling and his exposure to the exotic and alien culture of India.

In 1894, following the advice of his friend Madhava Rao, Ravi Varma founded India's first oleography press known as the Ravi Varma Oleographic and Chromolithographic Printing Workshop in Girgaum, now Girgaon, later moving to Ghatkopar in Bombay (Mumbai). He finally shifted it to Malavli, near Lonavala, in 1899. This press revolutionised the presence of art in everyday homes by making it accessible to the public. Varma employed German printer Fritz Schleicher to help reproduce his paintings, and the firm was renamed The Ravi Varma Fine Art Lithographic Works. Schleicher was known for producing high-quality prints and experimenting with innovations like adding metallic foil. Despite facing challenges and ownership changes, the press produced millions of oleographs, generating millions of copies of his work. Numerous facets of life were impacted and inspired by the oleographs published by the Ravi Varma Press. The artwork from the Ravi Varma Press, particularly the chromolithographs from Raja Ravi Varma's paintings, served as an inspiration for religion, comic books, commerce, and other popular artists.

Varma's depictions of women are considered excellent examples of the paintings that emerged from this period. Many of his most iconic compositions were adapted from photos of theatrical productions or illustrations of Old Master paintings and other images in European magazines. This print derived from a painting, is inspired by a photo circa 1900 from the theatre show called The Feast of Roses, L’inamorata. It is fascinating to see first-hand how Varma transformed the posture and stance of the European woman into his vision of idealised Indian beauty, turning the folds of her costume into a saree.

The oleograph from which this painting is based is titled Damayanti. Damayanti is the protagonist and heroine in the Sanskrit epic Nala and Damayanti. In the story, Damayanti and King Nala fall in love after hearing about their respective noble traits, intelligence, and beauty. Over time, Damayanti starts to pine for Nala, shunning food, sleep, and other activities. The scene depicted in this print is Damayanti engrossed in thoughts of Nala and being fanned by her attendant Keshini.

Ravi Varma strove to impart the same beauty to his Damayanti that had been written about poetically in literary sources. Each element in the picture works in harmony to elevate it beyond just a decorative painting into a meaningful depiction of one of Indian mythology's most romantic epics. Even in modern times, this scene and subject matter are considered among Raja Ravi Varma's most iconic compositions and are popular in numerous households.

The print features women's sarees with gold ornamentation and borders, creating a dynamic and poised ambiance. The scene was originally intended for a sunlit terrace but was glossed with a dark varnish in the original painting, transforming it into a night scene with a hand-painted crescent moon. Ravi Varma chose easel painting and the oil medium over established Indian methods and materials, focusing on academic realism and the power of epics and classical texts. He used the rich oil medium and realism to transfer the wealth of stories and mythology into paintings of great resonance. His use of colour and paint is unparalleled for an artist of his time, making his works highly desirable. In 1979, the Indian government declared him a National Art Treasure.

This work will be shipped unframed

NON-EXPORTABLE

This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as reference for the condition of each lot.