Raja Yudhishtira surveys Hell in search of his brothers

Painting on wood with gold detailing depicting a scene from the Mahabharata, depicting Raja Yudhishtira (wearing a white turban, below the text panel) surveying Hell in search of his brothers. The text, in late 19th-century Urdu, written in a cursive nasta'liq-e khafi hand, refers to the painting as 'Plate number 132'. The painting dates from the late 19th century, probably from the art schools of Jaipur, India, and adapts a composition from the dispersed late 16th century 'Jaipur' Razmnamah manuscript (in the Jaipur royal collection, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, and British Library), an illustrated Persian translation from the original Sanskrit (version by Naqib Khan) created at the court of the third Mogul Emperor, Akbar I (d. 1605).

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
27.2.48/96
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 385 mm x 280 mm x 20 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
wood; paint
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring anthropology

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk