Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Death of Maricha: K. Venkatappa’s Illustration
Original caption: The Death of Maricha
Rama draws his bow towards the leaping deer, fixing the deceptive chase at a moment of poised violence. Venkatappa uses the contrast between the pale animal above and the upright bow-bearing figure below to concentrate attention on an event with consequences beyond the hunting scene. Maricha has taken the form of a marvellous deer as part of Ravana’s plan to draw Rama away from Sita. His death does not conclude the danger: it advances the trap. The plate belongs to the turning point of the forest episode, where a beautiful animal becomes the means of breaking the household’s protection.
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Citation
K. Venkatappa. "The Death of Maricha: K. Venkatappa’s Illustration" [source caption]. In Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists, Sister Nivedita and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. Original scan, 1914, George G. Harrap & Co.. Source scan leaf 81. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/hindu-death-maricha
Source details
Title from the printed caption. Editorial description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Artist credited in the printed list of illustrations. Full source leaf and the adjacent narrative reviewed; historical scan colour and texture retained.
Sources
From the book
Myths of the Hindus and BuddhistsSister Nivedita and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy1914More from this book
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Ravana Fighting Jatayu: K. Venkatappa’s Ramayana PlateRelated illustrations
Cite this illustration
K. Venkatappa. The Death of Maricha: K. Venkatappa’s Illustration. Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists. Scan leaf 81. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/hindu-death-maricha