Hanuman, Rama and Sita

Executed in watercolour on paper, the painting employs flat areas of unmodulated colour, strong black outlines, and minimal shading. Hanuman’s face is rendered with stark white dots suggesting eyes and teeth, while his limbs are simplified into dark, geometric shapes. The background is a solid red, heightening the contrast of the central orange disc and emphasizing the symbolic rather than naturalistic intent.

The painting entered the collection in 1914 under acquisition number RP 1914-2063M, donated by Ernest H. Hindley. Its origin lies in the Kalighat bazaar near the Kalighat Temple in Kolkata, where artists produced affordable devotional images for visitors. The work’s survival and donation reflect early 20th-century interest in South Asian folk art among Western collectors.

Kalighat paintings emerged in the early 1800s as a response to urbanization and changing religious practices in colonial Calcutta. Artists adapted traditional iconography to suit mass production, using inexpensive materials and quick brushwork. This piece exemplifies how spiritual narratives were streamlined into portable, emotionally direct imagery for a broad audience.

The painting stands as a representative example of Kalighat art’s transition from temple-related imagery to secular and devotional commodities. Its preservation in a museum collection underscores its significance as a cultural artifact, illustrating how folk traditions preserved theological concepts through visual economy and symbolic clarity.