Rama and Lakshmana Overwhelmed by Arrows: Folio from the Siege of Lanka series
Attributed to Manaku Indian
Not on view
According to the Ramayana, “Rendering himself invisible . . . [Ravana’s son Indrajit] loosened sharp arrows bright as lightening on Rama and Lakshmana . . . [so] not a hair’s breadth on their bodies was not lacerated, pricked, and pierced.” The text says the shafts resembled serpents, a metaphor the artist rendered literally, depicting writhing snakes covering the bodies of the two fallen heroes. This preparatory drawing brilliantly conveys the essence of the narrative. The modulated line and spontaneity of expression observed on the faces of the surrounding monkey and bear army are markedly different from that in the artist’s finished paintings.
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