Hanuman Leaps to Lanka

Place CreatedMalwa, India, Asia

CultureIndia, Malwa

Dateca. 1680s

MediumInk and watercolor on paper

Credit LineGift of Jayantilal K. and Geeta J. Patel and family to further the study of Hinduism

Dimensions7 3/4 × 11 in. (19.7 × 27.9 cm)

Object number2015.016.001

Label TextRama and Lakshmana join forces with the forest monkeys and bears to rescue Sita. Sugriva, king of the monkeys, sends Hanuman (right), his nephew Angada, and the king of the bears Jambavan (left) south in search of Sita. After they realize that Sita is being held captive on the island of Lanka, Jambavan convinces Hanuman to use his extraordinary powers to leap across the ocean to find her. He wields his signature weapon, a mace, as he leaps from Mount Mahendra across the ocean towards Ravana’s fort, ornately painted with vases on display in niches. Ravana may be morally bankrupt, but his demon kingdom flourishes.
Exhibition HistoryTell the Whole Story from Beginning to End: The Ramayana in Indian Painting, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 20 - May 20, 2018
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, August 28, 2021 - Present

ProvenanceEx coll. Richard B. Gump (1906-1989), San Francisco, California. Thence by descent. With Sotheby's New York, December 12-20, 1991. Ex private collection, New York, New York. Purchased by MCCM from Christie's New York, March 18, 2015, lot 4054.

MarkingsNumbered "48" on verso.

Status

On view

Collections