Raja Ravi Varma Painter
Rupika Chawla
of
Colonial I ndia
With New Paintings
Raja Ravi Varma PAINTER
OF
C OLONIAL I NDIA
Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906) was among the first Indian painters to successfully adapt academic realism to the visual interpretation of Indian mythology and adopt Western painting techniques of portraiture. His genre of paintings, which eventually led to chromolithographs (oleographs), has maintained a lasting effect on the Indian sensibility, making him the best-known classical painter of modern times. This book is an account of Ravi Varma’s traditional background and environment in the context of colonial India, and the relationship of this milieu with his profession as an aristocratic itinerant painter. Many royal families of India and several rich and powerful personalities were patrons of Ravi Varma, whose portraits he painted in large numbers. His range of Puranic and religious paintings, reflecting his deep understanding of Sanskrit and Malayalam literature, have deeply influenced the forms of gods and goddesses in 20th-century visual culture of India. Ravi Varma’s fascination for feminine beauty and the ability to capture it masterfully is abundantly evident in his numerous portrayals of Shakuntala, Sita and Damayanti, and of the Indian woman. His lingering influence on the Indian mindset is also seen in the works of Indian contemporary painters and artists, who continue to be inspired by his art. This lavishly illustrated book brings together paintings from royal and private collections, and museums. It presents many works that have never been seen before, along with previously undisclosed maps, letters, photographs and other archival material. It traces the sources used by Ravi Varma, examines the techniques and methodology of his paintings, and discusses their conservation and the problem of fakes and copies, much to the advantage of historians, collectors, curators and art aficionados.
With 442 colour illustrations
Front cover H.H. Sri Chamaraja Wadiyar X, portrait (detail), oil on canvas. See page 106 Back cover Yashoda Ornamenting Balkrishnan, oil on canvas. See page 236
Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma 2
Raja Ravi Varma PAINTER
OF
RUPIKA CHAWLA
C OLONIAL I NDIA
Reprinted in 2019, 2017, 2013 First published in India in 2010 by Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd 706 Kaivanna, Panchvati, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad 380006 INDIA T: +91 79 40 228228 F: +91 79 40 228201 E: mapin@mapinpub.com www.mapinpub.com
Captions
Distributed in North America by Antique Collectors’ Club E: ussales@accartbooks.com www.accartbooks.com/us
Page ii Portrait of Indira Bai Moolgavkar, oil on canvas, 29.5 x 40.5”, early 1900s. Private Collection
Distributed in the rest of the world by Mapin Publishing
Ravi Varma used realistic portraits as the starting point for paintings with imaginary subjects. See page 247 for the link between Indira Moolgavkar’s portrait and Kadambari.
Text © Rupika Chawla Illustrations © as listed All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. ISBN: 978-81-89995-08-9 (Mapin) LCCN: 2010920300 Designed by Amit Kharsani / Mapin Design Studio Edited by Diana Romany / Mapin Editorial Processed at Reproscan, Mumbai Printed in India by Thomson Press (India) Ltd.
Page i H.H. Janaki Subbamma Bai Sahib, Rani of Pudukkottai, and her daughter, oil on canvas, 38.5 x 60.5”, c. 1886. Private collection (See also page 76, for a younger portrait of the Rani painted in 1879)
Page iii Portrait of Indira Bai Moolgavkar (detail), oil on canvas, 29.5 x 40.5”, early 1900s. Private Collection Page iv Bishop Geevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala, oil on canvas, 38 x 60”, 1905. Collection: St. John’s Attamangalam Jacobite Syrian Church, Kumarakom, Kottayam, Kerala “I will varnish the portrait and hand it over to advocate Mr. John in Thiruvananthapuram on the 30th of this month. I have taken extreme care and drawn it beautifully. But on completing the portrait, I have come to feel that this saintly person does indeed possess some divine powers. Because, while drawing this portrait I had started feeling that its size – or something else, was not doing justice to the subject. I would pick up the photo and compare with the portrait and would find no shortcomings or size differences; but the feeling that the portrait was not good enough persisted. I can only say in the end I was made to do one more portrait, larger and more beautiful than the first one. Now there are two pictures that I have been blessed by that divine soul to complete despite my busy schedule: a large picture as commissioned by you and a smaller one that was started earlier and is half-complete.” Excerpt of letter written by Ravi Varma on completion of the painting, 1905 Page v Bishop Pulikkoottil Joseph Mar Dionysis II and Mr. E.M. Philip, the Church Trustee, oil on canvas, 58 x 48”, c. early 1900s. Collection: Syrian Orthodox Old Seminary, Kottayam, Kerala Pages vi–vii Rajibai Moolgavkar, watercolour sketch, 11 x 8.5”, early 1900s. Collection: Dilip Moolgaonkar Rajibai’s watercolour sketch provided the composition for Disappointing News, see page 82. Another image of Rajibai is on page 101. Page viii Radha in the Moonlight, oil on canvas, 57.5 x 41.5”, 1890. Private Collection Page 1 Yashoda and Krishna (detail), oil on canvas, 28 x 35”. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram (See page 166)
A Note to the Reader: Titles of Raja Ravi Varma’s original paintings and sketches appear in bold in the captions. The titles in brackets, where they appear, are the variant names, different from what the painter specified, but those that are more prevalent and often used in museums and publications.
Page 2 The Raja and Rani of Kurupam (detail), portrait, oil on canvas, 67.5 x 93.5”, 1902. Private collection (See page 315) Pages 8–9 Reclining Nair Lady, oil on canvas, 29 x 41”, 1902. Private collection (See page 224)
A drawing of a musician from Ravi Varma's sketchbook
This book is dedicated to Raja Ravi Varma whose life and works demand that such a book be written.
It is also dedicated to C. Raja Raja Varma, younger brother of Raja Ravi Varma, whose diaries and observations propelled it into the course it has taken.
Contents Author’s Note 11
Chapter 1 Private Lives and the Turn of the Century
18
Chapter 3 Cities and States
68
Chapter 2 The Itinerant Varma Brothers
48
Chapter 4 Exploring the Source
154
Chapter 5 Themes and Preoccupations
Chapter 6 The Image Moves On
244
198
Chapter 7 A Century Looks Back
Chapter 8 Painting the Canvas
292
306 Notes 344
Index 354
Author’s Note
O
ver the years I have often pondered over the enigma
through the information I had gathered and through
of Ravi Varma, the man who painted portraits and
my reflections that willed him into manifestation.
mythological paintings, who spawned the beginning of
I will never fully know him but I found much to admire
popular visual culture and unbeknown to many Indians
in this bright-eyed charismatic man of easy laughter,
past and present, influenced their visual perception down
so capable of balancing the traditional with the avant-
the century. Who was this man who had breathed life
garde, gifted with well-honed senses and sensibility,
into these mythology-based paintings, moved with his
energetic, enterprising and entrepreneurial, a man
times and ahead of them as well, taken a farewell bow
indeed, of the twenty-first century.
in the prime of his life and reluctantly left the sphere of living beings with so much yet to accomplish? He
Sources in Mysore and Bangalore
had proved to be both provocative and elusive, yet had
It was a rainy September in 2003, and as usual, Mysore
beckoned, wanting to be known and discovered. I had to
was overflowing with people who had converged for the
seek him out, pursue his trail and unravel something of
Dasara celebrations. They were crowded into the palace
this man whose quicksilver thoughts and rich emotional
gardens, lit up by the lights that chased the contours of
reserves guided his actions and his creativity for fifty-
this vast structure, impervious to the rain that fell well
eight years.
into the night. Central to the festivities was Srikanta
I have not been able to track down every source or
Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the erstwhile Maharaja of
run every bit of information to the ground; neither do I
Mysore, resplendent in his regalia. With everybody
believe it possible to do so. After a hundred years there is
preoccupied with the celebrations this was perhaps the
so much that has vanished with time’s merciless sweep
wrong time to be in Mysore but Sunny, who photographed
and the indifference of unwilling custodians of tangible
a large part of the paintings for the book, was emigrating
evidence. Yet, there was much that was retrieved—a fact
to Australia. It was vital that he photograph the fabulous
this book bears testimony to.
Mysore collection before he left, leaving the remainder
I followed Ravi Varma’s fading footsteps, discovered
to his assistant Pratap to finish.
his environment and family, heard anecdotes, unearthed
In the midst of his multiple preoccupations
his friends and their present families, exhumed period
essential for this time of the year, the former maharaja,
letters, newspapers and photographs, and correlated him
Mr. Wadiyar, most graciously opened up his private
with the India of his times. Slowly I found him as he
rooms for us to photograph his personal collection.
emerged from the mists of nothingness, conjured up
Among them was the impressive portrait of Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar, that forms the cover of this
The Swan Messenger (detail), oil on canvas, 26 x 73.6”, 1906. Collection: Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, Chairman, Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery Trust, Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore
book. Large parts of the palace lay in darkness as the electricity had been diverted to illuminate the extensive exterior. With the rain and the darkness, the walk through
11
the vast areas was almost an adventure. We loped over
In Kerala
electric wires temporarily fixed on the roof and hunched
Kilimanur, Ravi Varma’s ancestral home and the place
under umbrellas in order to reach inaccessible parts of
where he died, caught the tangential light of limpid gold
the palace, guided by a man with a lantern.
as the sun dipped behind the trees. I walked through his
Mr. Wadiyar did manage to speak with me
palace with Principal R.K. Varma of the Raja Ravi Varma
between crowded, hectic moments, and was kind
Central School in Kilimanur. Ravi Varma’s studio, which
enough to direct M.G. Narasimha, Superintendent of the
was his sanctuary, now appeared to be a demystified
Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, to steer us through our
space—just four walls and a large room. Books from his
visit, which also included the Mysore Archives located
library are locked in a cupboard in another part of the
in the palace complex. The archival findings from the
building, with Dr. R.K. Varma as their custodian. Most of
Department of Archaeology were rich in information,
them are stamped with Ravi Varma’s insignia, and offer
Museum and Heritage, where I was assisted by the very
an insight into the kind of books he enjoyed and where
capable Dr. J.V. Gayathri, the Deputy Director. I am grateful
he bought them.
to Kamal Kumar for introducing me to Mr. Wadiyar.
12
The person to give me the correct perspective on
We would not have found a room during this
Ravi Varma, his milieu and the norms that governed it,
busy festival season but for the sanctuary offered to
was the knowledgeable Dr. R.P. Raja, Ravi Varma’s great-
my daughter Rukmini, who was accompanying me on
grandson who lives in Thiruvananthapuram. Without
this trip, our photographer Sunny and me, by the Lalitha
Dr. Raja’s help I would perhaps not have understood the
Mahal Palace Hotel, thanks to Amitabh Kant, Chairman
complexities of Ravi Varma’s environment; so essential
and Managing Director of ITDC at that time.
for a book of this nature.
Anjolie Ela Menon’s sister-in-law, the late Lily
I am much obliged to the late Maharani Karthika
Parameshwar who lived in Bangalore, introduced me
Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore, her brother, the
to V. Damodaran Nair, who translated from Malayalam
erstwhile Maharaja Sri Padmanabha Martanda Varma,
the obituary of Ravi Varma, unearthed from the archives
(great-grandchildren of Ravi Varma) and Karthika
of Malayala Manorama by Philip Mathew, the Managing
Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi’s daughters, Princess Gouri
Editor.
Parvathi Bayi and Princess Gouri Lakshmi Bayi, of the
Lily Parameshwar also introduced me to the
erstwhile Travancore royal family, for allowing me to
Bangalore based Rukmini Varma, who was of great
photograph their formidable collection. (It was Rukmini
importance for my research. While at Rukmini’s house
Varma who related to me, while in Bangalore, the
I met her sister Lakshmi Raghunathan, author of the
anecdote about the brocaded fabric gifted to Ravi Varma
book on her grandmother that I consulted often while
by the Maharaja of Mysore, later made into the wedding
writing my own. They are both granddaughters of Setu
skirt for Rukmini’s grandmother; and it was Gouri
Lakshmi Bayi, one of Ravi Varma’s two granddaughters
Parvathi Bayi who showed me the wedding photograph
who were adopted into the Travancore royal family (See
reproduced in Chapter 1. I am thankful to Hormese
Chapter 1). What I should have calculated earlier struck
Tarakkan, the former DGP of Kerala, and K. Jayakumar,
me forcibly now: four to five generations divide us today
(IAS) for introducing me to Gouri Parvathi Bayi and for
from Ravi Varma and his contemporaries. This is a detail
making it possible to meet the family at Kaudiar Palace.
that I kept well in mind as the research proceeded and
While at Thiruvananthapuram, I photographed
as I looked around for lost material. The charming and
the extensive Sri Chitra Art Gallery collection with the
very informative Rukmini helped further my research
permission of T. Balakrishnan, who was then Secretary,
by introducing me to Dr. R.P. Raja and Dr. R.K. Varma,
Tourism and Culture, and C.S. Yalakki, Chief Conservator
other descendants of Ravi Varma’s children who lived in
of Forests and Director of the art gallery in 2003.
Thiruvananthapuram and in Kilimanur.
Mr. Balakrishnan also gave me permission to photograph
PR
O
V.
POTLITICAL DIVISION OF THE
N
TI
ER
KABUL
Herat
O
FR
A F G H A N I S T A N
SRINAGAR
ES
T
PESHAWAR
BRITISH INDIA COLOURED
RT
H-
W
Rawal Pindi Jammu
NO
Kandahar
T
Sialkot
Quetta
A
B
E
TERRITORIES PERMANENTLY ADMINISTERED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
T
NATIVE STATES AND TERRITORIES
Simla
B
Ambala Patiala Saharanpur
Multan Bahawalpur
Kalat
I
Amritsar
Lahore
P U N J
Garhwal Tehri
Kham
Meerut
Khairpur Jaisalmer
pu
B
O
M
B
Udaipur
A Y
Bhuj
G u j a Ahmadabad r a t
E
N
A TR
IND
L
P
Bhopal
Cooch Behar EASTERN BENGAL
Darbhanga
B i h a r
Shillong
Jabbulpore
NAGPUR
Midnarpur
Howrah CALCUTTA
Chittangong
Raipur
U P P E R B U R M A Mandalay
Southern Shan States
Orissa Cuttack
n
Bastar
L O W E R
H Y D E R A B A D Sholapur
Secunderabad
HYDERABAD Kolhapur
D
E
Y
C
B U R M A
Vizagapatam
P
R
Bellary
Gulf of Martaban
O F
E Hubli
RANGOON
B A Y
S
I
N
Karenn i
ka
Puri
Ratnagiri
Nova Goa
DACCA
Jagdalpur
Poona
S E A
Imphal
ASSAM a
ra
BOMBAY
Bhagalpur
B E N G A L C h o t a N a g p u r Chandernagar
P R O V I N C E S B e r a r
Auragabad
AND
A
Y E N C I D E S
Amraoti
Surat
Gulf of Cambay
Gaya
C E N T R A L
R
Bhavnagar
Mirzapur I A A G E NRewah CY
INDORE
Baroda
Kathiawar
A R A B I A N
Punakha
B H U TA N
Patna
Rann of Cutch
Gulf of Cutch
Sikkim Darjeeling
Lucknow Gorakhpur
Ajmer Gwalior Cawnpore AJMER Jodhpur MERWARA Tonk P R O V I N C E S Bundi Gwalior A G E N C Y ALLAHABAD Benares
Sind Karachi
Agra
JAIPUR
R A J P U T A N A
r
KATMANDU
pe
air
N E P A L
Barelly
U N I T E D
Alwar
C
Kh
Rampur
Aligarh Muttra
Ti p
A G E N C Y
Chin Hills
Delhi
Bikaner
r
B A L U C H I S T A N
K a l a t
INDIAN EMPIRE
K A S H M I R
Mangalore
Bangalore
Coorg
MYSORE
Mahe (Fr)
LACCADIVE ISLANDS
M A D R A S
B E N G A L M Y S O R E
Salem
Calicut
MADRAS ANDAMAN ISLANDS Pondicherry (Fr) Cuddalore
MERGUI ARCHIPLAGO
Port Blair
Kumbakonam
n Trava
Coimbatore Negapatam Trichinopoly Tanjore Str. k Cochin l Pa Madura
Little Andaman Ten Degree Chanel
co
Trinnevelly
I
N
D
I
A
re
Trivandrum
Gulf of Manar
N
CEYLON
O
C
E
A
NICOBAR ISLANDS
N
Great Nicobar
Map created by Mapin Publishing, 2010; Source: Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 26, Atlas 1909 edition (Oxford University Press) p. 20
Political Map of British India contemporaneous with Ravi Varma’s time, till 1947 The India of that period was divided between what was British India [orange] and princely states [green]. Hyderabad, Mysore, Baroda, Udaipur, Pudukkottai, and Travancore were incorporated into the Indian Union. Bombay acquired the nomenclature of Mumbai, Madras of Chennai and Baroda of Vadodara.
13
some paintings at the Tripunithura Palace in Kochi
narrative of this book. Rani Rema Devi Tondaiman and
(Cochin). S. Raimon, who was the Director of the
Vijendra Tondaiman of Pudukkottai opened up Ravi
Kerala State Archives, helped me locate a cache of Ravi
Varma’s Pudukkottai, while over our many trips to
Varma correspondence, which placed several incidents
the Chettinad area I slowly discovered the many ways
in perspective and which became the backbone of
Ravi Varma’s oleographs had influenced this part of
the sub-chapter on Travancore (See Chapter 3). I thank
Tamil Nadu, highlighted in Chapter 6. It seemed almost
them all.
natural for me to chance upon the sculptures at a Trichy temple inspired, yet again, by Ravi Varma’s oleographs.
In Hyderabad
Similarly, a drive to the Courtallam Falls in the company
There is no connection between the crowded Chudder
of Mahita and Suresh Jaganathan years before I had even
Ghat in Hyderabad today and its more spacious environs
thought of the book had, unknown to me, helped me
of a century ago. I was trying to locate the haveli built
later invoke the famous waters which Ravi Varma sadly
by Raja Bhagwan Das, court jeweller to Mahbub Ali
enough had thought would heal his diabetes. There is a
Khan Asaf Jah VI, Nizam of Hyderabad. Ravi Varma had
whiff of poignancy in his faith in the Courtallam Falls
moved in with Bhagwan Das after his misunderstanding
during the last few months before his death as narrated
with the celebrated photographer Raja Deen Dayal,
in Chapter 7.
during his unsuccessful visit to Hyderabad in 1902
A long interchange with historian and writer
(described in Chapter 3). I had no precise address for
S. Muthiah led to the discovery of George Moore’s portrait
Bhagwan Das’s house but finding it was meant to be,
in the Ripon Building and that of Lord Ampthill’s portrait
and so I did find it, squeezed tightly into a narrow street
at the Freemasons Lodge, both in Chennai. Ravi Menon,
and not visible from the busy main road. Miraculous
the present Grand Master, connected me further with
still, as though awaiting my arrival, was a middle-aged
Rustom Dastur, ‘Dusty’, and grandson of Aloo Kharegate
gentleman leaning against the gate, who happened to be
who is the subject of Ravi Varma’s Going Out. Dusty
Gopaldas Bhagwandas Shah, the great-great-grandson
evoked his grandmother’s personality and unravelled
of Raja Bhagwan Das, and who welcomed me into
the story behind the portrait, for which I am exceedingly
the haveli. This connection led to the discovery of the
thankful. I acknowledge my debt to N. Ram, the Editor-
Nizam’s portrait and a set of letters exchanged between
in-Chief of The Hindu newspaper and its meticulously
Ravi Varma and Raja Bhagwan Das, presently in the
maintained archives, and for Ravi Varma’s obituaries;
possession of Satish G. Shah, the uncle of Gopaldas
to Meenakshi Meyyappa, Mahitha Suresh, Sheila Priya
Shah. The letters helped me develop the narrative about
(IAS), and Mr. and Mrs. K.K. Varma.
the discovery of the Nizam’s portrait made during the
I am indebted to Dr. R. Kannan for being able to
Varmas‘ stay in Hyderabad. My many thanks to Satish
photograph the Ravi Varma paintings at the Government
Shah, Gopaldas Shah, to Mohamed Safiullah, a collector
Museum, Chennai and for being able to examine and
of old photographs with special interest in those of Deen
photograph the portrait of W.A. Porter hanging high
Dayal, and to our friend S. Anwar, (IAS), who facilitated
inside Porter Town Hall in Kumbakonam. It was covered
the transparencies at the Salar Jung Museum and who
with cobwebs and the painter’s identity had long since
clarified some details in the text.
lapsed into the past. Porter had been a man of some consequence who had helped to further Ravi Varma’s
14
In Tamil Nadu
career in Mysore. While in Kumbakonam I sought out
It seems almost ordained that my many trips to Tamil
J. Jaishankar, descendant of Seshaiah Sastri, the Dewan
Nadu made since 1979 which had resulted in my
of Pudukkottai and friend of Ravi Varma, who informed
travelling and meeting people in this state, should
me that I had come too late as his ancestor’s palace had
abundantly come to my assistance when I started the
only recently been pulled down.
In Mumbai and Pune
The railway line that connects Pune and Mumbai
The Mumbai to Pune stretch proved to be the matrix
goes past Malavli, the station for Ravi Varma’s Fine
for several concepts and areas of information that fitted
Art Lithograph Press. Fritz Schleicher, who bought the
into the general jigsaw puzzle of the book. As in Tamil
press from the brothers in 1903, lived there till his death
Nadu, each trip here was never a disappointment; so
in 1935. I thank Patrick Bowring for introducing me to
provocative were the findings in these places. `Bombay’
Robert Phillips Sandhu, Schleicher’s grandson. Robert
had to be seen de nouveau through Ravi Varma’s eyes,
provided me with a perspective to Malavli during Ravi
mainly the geography of the Girgaum/Opera House area
Varma’s time that made the narrative quicken with
frequented by him because of the press and because of the
authenticity. The day spent in Schleicher’s cottage in
voice of Anjanibai Malpekar, a well known exponent of
Malavli’s forest with Robert and his late wife Lisbeth
the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana in Bombay, who lived in this
was quite unforgettable.
area. I recall with appreciation the many conversations with Suhasini Koratkar, whom I met through S. Kalidas.
In Manipal
Suhasini is one of Anjanibai’s disciples who introduced
I started to accumulate the material on Ravi Varma’s
me to Malpekar’s grandchildren Vijay, Sadhana, Vidya
press when I met Vijaynath Shenoy, the Trustee-
and Deepak Ved. They gave me the Hindi translation
Secretary of the Hasta Shilpa Trust in Manipal, again
of the last interview given by Malpekar to a Marathi
introduced to me by Anjolie Ela Menon. It was only a
magazine in 1972, aged 89. It has been reproduced with
couple of years later that I was able to meet with Robert
all its nostalgia in the section on Bombay in Chapter 3.
Sandhu, Fritz Schleicher’s grandson. All the surviving
In Pune, it was from Dr. S.D. Gokhale that I heard
lithostones, pigments and oleographs of the press were
of Anand Madgulkar, who knew about the Marathi
handed over to Shenoy by Sandhu some years ago and
autobiography of Balasaheb, the Raja of Aundh, a friend
are now displayed in a museum at the Hasta Shilpa Trust
and admirer of Ravi Varma, who wrote extensively on
in Manipal. It is because of Shenoy’s cooperation that a
the artist in his book. Anand Madgulkar went through
great deal of this material has been used in Chapter 6.
the autobiography and sent me the relevant pages that pertained to Ravi Varma, for which I am very grateful.
In Vadodara and Ahmedabad
Anjali Nargolkar, introduced to me by D.N. Mishra, my
My special thanks to B.N. Doshi who accompanied me
yoga instructor, graciously translated the text for me.
into the Girgaum district of Mumbai, where I evoked the
I thank them all as the extracts proved invaluable,
time when Ravi Varma had stayed there. He was equally
allowing me an extraordinary insight into Ravi Varma’s
a great help in Vadodara and Ahmedabad for the days
art practices, discussed extensively in Chapter 8. Also
that I was there. I cannot forget G.V. Shah, Superintendent
translated by Anjali Nargolkar were excerpts from
at the Archives in Vadodara and his staff, who were
the Marathi newspaper, Kesari, with contemporary
very cooperative. I thank the Sarabhai Foundation and
references to Ravi Varma. Rajender Thakurdesai, who has
Gira Sarabhai for completing the reference on Ambalal
a special interest in Ravi Varma, researched these at the
Sarabhai, her father. I am grateful to her sister, Gita Mayor
Pune Archives. He also investigated into the rumoured
for her insights on Anjanibai Malpekar, and to the painter
defamation suit against Ravi Varma by delving through
Amit Ambalal for introducing me to Gita Mayor.
legal gazetteers of the Pune High Court without finding anything sensational. I greatly appreciate the generosity
In Udaipur
of The National Film Institute with its great archives at
Ravi Varma and Raja Raja Varma saw the beauty of Lake
Pune; and for allowing me to see how the Magic Lantern
Pichola from Amet Haveli that stands on the opposite
operates. The relevant visuals from the National Film
side of the lake from Udaipur’s famous palaces. I was
Institute archives have truly enriched Chapter 6.
at Amet Haveli with my daughter Rukmini, under a
15
16
luminous sky and a soft drizzle standing in the chatri
varying degrees; Priya Bhasin and Vidita Singh for their
that hangs over the water, the same chatri from where
sustained help on the computer. I am equally obliged
Ravi Varma painted the extraordinary view. My many
to Rakesh Aggarwal, Vijay Aggarwal, Ashish Anand,
thanks to the erstwhile Maharana Shriji Arvind Singh
Sharon Apparao, Kishore Babu, Nishajyoti Bahadur,
Mewar for the photography of his paintings, and to Nina
Sonia Bellani, Shobhana Bhartia, Shobha Bhatia,
Singh for introducing me to him, as well as to the family
Shaupon Bosu, Suma and the late John Chakola, the late
at Amet Haveli for allowing me to spend time there.
Urmila Chathli, Tunty Chauhan, Sita Chidambaran, Avanish Chopra, Kukie Choudhrie, Atul Dodiya, Urmila
Museums and Archives
Dhongre, Professor Dhumal, Ritu and Alak Gajapati
I am indebted to the following museums and archives for
Raju,
enhancing the diversity of visuals in the book: Hill Palace,
V. Krishnamoorthi, Seth Vijay Kumar, the late Madhavan
Thripunithura, Kochi; Madhavan Nayar Foundation,
Kutty, Adithya Lakshma Rao Jatprole, Ashok Mehta,
Kochi; Krishna Menon Museum, Kozhikode; Sri Chitra
Rakesh Mohan, Kiran and Shiv Nadar, Ritu and Rajan
Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram; Kerala State Archives;
Nanda, Peter Nagy, Karan Singh Pawar, Mr. Perumal,
Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, Mysore; Mysore State
Jyoti M. Rai, Mariam Ram, Chameli Ramachandran,
Archives; Government Museum, Egmore, Chennai; Fort
V. Ramesh, Poonam Bevli Sahi, Rajiv and Roohi Savera,
Museum, Chennai; Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad;
Gyanendra Seth, Dilip Shankar, Kavita and Jasjit Singh,
Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata; Birla Academy of Art and
Nina Singh, the late Tejashwar Singh, Ujuala Singh,
Culture, Kolkata; National Gallery of Modern Art, New
Siddharta Tagore, Faredum Taraporwala, Shikha Trivedi,
Delhi; National Railway Museum, New Delhi; National
Neville Tuli, Sunita Vadehra, Amol Vadehra and Madhu
Museum Laboratory, New Delhi; Pudukkottai Museum;
and Chander Verma.
Manisha
Gera
Baswani,
Namita
Gokhale,
Directorate of Archaeology and Museums in Mumbai
My conservator friend Dr. Clare Finn in London
for the Ravi Varma images at Shree Bhavani Museum,
introduced me to Dr. Nick Eastaugh who provided me
Aundh; Bombay Art Society, Mumbai; Merchant Ivory
with two important connections: one with Sally
Productions, Mumbai; Maharaja Fatesingh Museum
Woodcock, who had worked extensively on the Roberson
Trust, Vadodara; Gujarat State Archives, Vadodara;
Archives at the Hamilton Kerr Institute at Cambridge, and
National Archives, New Delhi and the Director General,
the other with Sarah Miller, the UK Education Manager
Mr. S.M. Baqar, and Dr. Gautam there.
at Winsor & Newton. It is the valuable information they generously made available that gave an extra punch to
In Delhi and elsewhere
Chapter 8.
The strangers, family and friends who have helped
My many thanks are for Navin, my husband and
me through the book, its narrative and the journeys
steady-constant, and his reflections on the narrative of
undertaken while writing this book are innumerable. I
the book; to my elder daughter Rukmini for her editorial
am grateful to A. Ramachandran, Dr. R.P. Raja, Mala
help since I began writing it, and to my younger daughter
Marwah, Ranesh Ray and Chanda Singh for their
Mrinalini for burning CDs late into the night! All of them
invaluable help. I also wish to acknowledge Sudha
too, for their concern and constant inquiry.
Gopalakrishnan, K.K. Gupta, Madhu Jain, K. Jayakumar,
I am extremely grateful to Pavan Morarka for his
Ranbir Kaleka, Suhasini Koratkar, M.G. Narasimha,
support. Without his sponsorship I would not have been
M. Safiullah, Robert Sandhu, Shobha Deepak Singh, and
able to explore Ravi Varma’s world to the extent that
Gayatri Sinha for patiently sifting through the text in
I did. I am indebted to everyone at Mapin for the
Oleograph of Shakuntala and Menaka, based on the original by Raja Ravi Varma (See page 193)
meticulous work done in the making of the book.
17
Private Lives and the Turn of the Century
Memories of a Rare World
the Travancore royal family were rewarded with the
Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, has always
large estate of Kilimanur. They were known as the
been known by that name except for the time when the
“Koil Thampuran,” which was a great honour, as
British referred to it as Trivandrum. There was no single
only the Koil Thampurans were permitted to make
state but three separate regions—Travancore, Cochin
endogamous marriages with the Travancore royal
and Malabar—till they were amalgamated in 1956 to form
family. The prefix of “Raja” to Ravi Varma’s name does
Kerala. Trivandrum, which had earlier been the capital
not connote kingship even while it finds a connection
of Travancore, continued to be the capital of Kerala
with his royal antecedents. It is perhaps more strongly
after the merging of the three states. In 1991, the city’s
linked with the recognition and acknowledgement
original name, Thiruvananthapuram, was reinstated
he received as a painter, from the British and also
and Trivandrum, as it was known during Ravi Varma’s
the Indian elite. For a socially mobile person like
time, disappeared into history.
Ravi Varma, it would have been of a greater advantage
About 40 kilometres out of Thiruvananthapuram
to adopt the more familiar Raja than the unfamiliar “Koil
is Kilimanur, Raja Ravi Varma’s birthplace, which during
Thampuran” while outside Travancore. Ravi Varma
his lifetime was a prosperous estate inhabited by about
inscribed Koil Thampuran together with his name
200 members of the Kilimanur clan (Fig. 1.2). It is today
on paintings whenever he wished to communicate
almost desolate, and a bleak, shuttered air hovers over
his status. C. Raja Raja Varma, (Fig. 1.3) Ravi Varma’s
the place. Some family members continue to live in
younger brother, who chronicled their lives for several
Kilimanur, while most of them have scattered in different
years, testifies to the importance of this title when he
directions.
writes in his diary in 1903: “We—the Koil Thampurans of
The Kilimanur clan originally descended from
Kilimanur—went first to settle in Travancore for marriage
the rulers of Beypore (near Kozhikode on the northern
alliances with the royal family.” His own name, Raja Raja
coast of Kerala), who, for their valorous defense of
Varma, is a proper noun particular to men in Kerala. The initial “C” has no specific relevance. It was attached to
Fig. 1.1 Maharani Lakshmi Bayi (1848–1900), oil on canvas, 41.6 x 53.6”, 1883. Collection: Sri Chitra Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram The older sister of Ravi Varma’s wife, Mahaprabha Thampuratty, Lakshmi Bayi was adopted into the Travancore royal family and became the Senior Rani of Travancore.
Raja Raja Varma’s name in order to differentiate him from other Raja Raja Varmas in the family. “Varma” is a caste name of the Kshatriyas, who are the warrior class and second in the four-tier caste system in India. Strict codes of behaviour and a rigid hierarchic system had bound the social structure of this
2 3
Fig. 1.2 View of Kilimanur Palace across the paddy fields, as seen in 2003 Fig. 1.3 C. Raja Raja Varma (1860–1905). Collection: R.P. Raja Ravi Varma’s brother, constant and beloved companion, painting assistant, secretary, and writer of a diary maintained over several years till a while before his death in early 1905.
Raja Ravi Varma 20
Fig. 1.4 Junior Rani Parvathi Bayi (1851–1894), oil on canvas, 29 x 40”, 1894. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram The middle sister among Ravi Varma's wife's sisters, Parvathi Bayi, was adopted into the Travancore royal family and became the Junior Rani.
4 5
6
Fig. 1.5 Bharani Thirunal Mahaprabha Amma Thampuran (c. 1830–1890), oil on canvas, 31 x 48”, c. 1890. Private collection Ravi Varma’s mother-in-law and mother of the two ranis of Travancore. Fig. 1.6 Pooruruttathi Thirunal Mahaprabha Amma Thampuran (1855–1891), oil on canvas, 21 x 25”, undated. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram Ravi Varma’s wife. Names such as Mahaprabha, Lakshmi, Parvathi, Kerala Varma and Raja Raja Varma were often used within the family, necessitating the prefix of the birth star to a name for easy identification.
1 Private Lives and the Turn of the Century
21
particular Kshatriya community into which Ravi Varma
too died young, having given birth to four sons and no
was born. This insulated them from the outside world for
daughters, while Lakshmi Bayi, unfortunately, remained
more reasons than just their geographic isolation, which
childless. This complicated matters further and it
produced in them a perception uniquely their own.
became obligatory on the Senior Rani to adopt two of
Mavelikkara,
some
80
kilometres
north
of
Kilimanur, was the seat of another important Kshatriya
her sister Mahaprabha and Ravi Varma in 1900.
family and the home of Bharani Thirunal Mahaprabha
The former Dewan (Prime Minister) of Travancore,
Amma Thampuran, mother of Ravi Varma’s wife
Sir A. Seshaiah Sastri, who had retired in the late 1890s
Mahaprabha Amma Thampuran (Figs 1.5 and 1.6). Mave-
and returned to live in Kumbakonam (formerly in
likkara could not have marital alliances with the royal
Madras Presidency, now a town in Tamil Nadu), wrote to
family because the caste structure of the two houses
Lakshmi Bayi in 1896, entreating her to adopt her nieces.
did not permit it. But the Mavelikkara family could, and
She replied with the following sentiment: “I have now
did, marry into the Kilimanur clan. Mahaprabha’s eldest
devoted my life entirely to the service of God, who may
sister, Lakshmi Bayi (Fig. 1.1), married Kerala Valiya Koil
be pleased to vouchsafe to me the satisfaction of seeing
Thampuran, known as Kerala Kalidasa, and Parvathi
many more female issues in my mother’s line eligible for
Bayi (Fig. 1.4), the middle sister married Kerala Varma
adoption to the Travancore Royal Family. I hope to be
Kochu Koil Thampuran (after his early death in 1872, she
spared long enough to bring up two girls to inherit my
was married to Raja Raja Varma Kochu Koil Thampuran,
estate and its appurtenances”.1 The “two girls” in their turn, were to become the
also from Kilimanur). Lakshmi Bayi and Parvathi Bayi lived lives quite
Senior Rani Setu Lakshmi Bayi and the Junior Rani Setu
different from their younger sister, Mahaprabha. Apart
Parvathi Bayi when the earlier Rani Lakshmi Bayi died
from links through marriage, the social structure of
in 1901. Setu Lakshmi Bayi (Fig. 1.7) was Ravi Varma’s
aristocratic Travancore at times necessitated the adoption
older granddaughter and the progeny of Mahaprabha,
of girls into the Travancore royal family. According to
his eldest daughter, acknowledged as being the beauty
the matrilineal system in Kerala, it is the eldest male
of the family. Mahaprabha and her mother were known
member in the royal family who becomes the king. In
by the same name, as there was a limited choice of
the likelihood of there being no female members, the
names within the aristocracy, also evident in names like
Maharaja had to necessarily adopt one or two “sisters”
“Lakshmi” “Parvathi” and “Raja Raja Varma”. Several of
or “nieces”. These girls were adopted from Mavelikkara
the women in Ravi Varma’s paintings are modelled on
because the caste structure of the two families allowed
Mahaprabha and she is undoubtedly immortalized in
it. Such an adoption occurred several times in the royal
There Comes Papa (Fig. 1.8).
history of Travancore. Both Lakshmi Bayi and Parvathi
The second granddaughter to be adopted was Setu
Bayi were adopted into the royal family as young girls
Parvathi Bayi, child of Bhageerathy Amma Thampuran,
and were subsequently known as the Senior Rani
Ravi Varma’s second daughter. Sri Chithira Thirunal,
Lakshmi Bayi and the Junior Rani Parvathi Bayi of
the eldest son of Junior Rani Setu Parvathi Bayi and the
Travancore.
great-grandson of Ravi Varma, was the Maharaja until
A different situation endangered the royal line
his death in 1991. His brother, Marthanda Varma is the
when Kerala Varma Kochu Koil Thampuran, Parvathi
nominal ruler today, while his sister, Karthika Thirunal
Bayi’s first husband, died early in life leaving her childless.
Lakshmi Bayi was the Maharani until her death in
Her remarriage became imperative, as the royal line
June 2008 (Fig. 1.10, also see Chapter 3, Travancore).
would otherwise have been at risk. She was wedded to
Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi, elder daughter of
Raja Raja Varma Kochu Koil Thampuran a year later in
Setu Lakshmi Bayi has succeeded her. The painter
1873. But it proved to be of no avail, as Parvathi Bayi
Rukmini Varma, and Lakshmi Raghunandan, author of
Raja Ravi Varma 22
her Mavelikkara grand-nieces, the granddaughters of
Fig. 1.7 Photograph of Setu Lakshmi Bayi and Shree Rama Varma Koil Thampuran on their wedding day, Trivandrum, 1906. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram Daughter of Mahaprabha, Ravi Varma’s eldest daughter, Setu Lakshmi Bayi was the Maharani of Travancore from 1924 to 1931. Her wedding pavada, a long brocaded skirt, in deep pink, was made from a brocade fabric gifted to Ravi Varma by the Maharaja of Mysore. The pattern of the skirt was used by Ravi Varma in Sri Krishna as Envoy (Fig. 4.19), a tribute paid to his royal patron.
7 8
Fig. 1.8 There Comes Papa, oil on canvas, 32 x 49”, 1893, signed “Ravi Varma, 1893” in black, below left. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram Ravi Varma’s eldest daughter, also called Mahaprabha (1872–1919), with her one-year-old son, Marthanda Varma. Her beauty inspired her father to often adapt her classical features in his paintings. There Comes Papa was one of the 10 paintings sent by Ravi Varma in 1894 to the International Exhibition at Chicago. He was advised to add a dog to the painting with the reason that the dog would be an added attraction for American viewers. Over a century ago, household pets were seldom seen in Indian homes, as they were considered unclean. 1 Private Lives and the Turn of the Century
23
At the Turn of the Tide: The Life and Times of Maharani Setu Lakshmi, the Last Queen of Travancore, are her daughters. The social system of Ravi Varma’s environment was both rigid and complex, governed by many rules that guided the religious and sociocultural life of the community. Much of the complexity hinged on the matrilineal system itself. According to this concept, the Brahmins married into their own community while also forging alliances with Kshatriya women and those of other castes, thus sustaining dominance over
other
sections
of
society.
The
families
of
Kilimanur and Mavelikkara, as has been explained, were Kshatriya clans. The Kshatriya wife did not live in her husband’s home for various reasons, a custom that continued till the 1950s. Intercaste marriages were the practice in earlier times. But such a system did not permit a Kshatriya wife to live in the home of her Brahmin husband.2 For this reason women who married Brahmins continued to live in their mother’s home after marriage. Their children grew up in the same house. Thus the matrilineal system continued, extending into large joint families.3 Ravi Varma’s parents, to whom he was born on 29 April 1848, are an example of such a union. His father, Ezhumavil Neelakantan Bhattatiripad was a learned Namboothiri Brahmin, the highest among all Brahmins. The Brahmins were traditionally priests and teachers and above all others in the caste system. His mother, Uma Amba Bai Thampuratty of Kilimanur, was a Kshatriya, intellectually
accomplished
and
an
acknowledged
Malayali poet. Their four children, Ravi Varma, Goda Varma, Raja Raja Varma and Mangala Bayi, lived in Kilimanur (Figs 1.11 and 1.12), which was their mother’s
Fig. 1.9 Veena Player, oil on canvas, 34 x 43”, undated, signed “Ravi Varma” in red, below left. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram Family members playing the veena were a frequent sight in Ravi Varma’s milieu, resulting in several paintings of this genre.
9
10 11 12
Fig. 1.10 The Hindu, 29 October 1937. Courtesy: The Hindu Archives, Chennai Clockwise from top left: Maharaja Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, son of Junior Rani Setu Parvati Bayi; Ravi Varma's granddaughter Junior Rani Setu Parvati Bayi; her younger son, Marthanda Varma: now the erstwhile Maharaja of Travancore, Sri Padmanabha Dasa; Junior Rani Setu Parvati Bayi's daughter, now the late Maharani Lakshmi Bayi; Maharani Setu Lakshmi Bayi, Ravi Varma's older grandaughter adopted into the Travancore royal family. Fig. 1.11 View of Ravi Varma’s studio as seen in 2003. The studio occupies a prominent position in the grounds of Kilimanur Palace. The yellow painted door on the extreme left earlier led to an open verandah where Ravi Varma sat and listened to the recitation of ancient texts. Fig. 1.12 Ravi Varma in the open verandah outside his studio listening to scriptures, late 19th century. Collection: R.P. Raja.
1 Private Lives and the Turn of the Century
25
Fig. 1.13 Nair Lady Arranging Jasmine in Her Hair, oil on canvas, 18 x 24”, 1903. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram Fig. 1.14 Ramaswamy Naidu, Lady Coiling Jasmine in Her Hair, oil on canvas, 27 x 35”, undated. Collection: Sri Chitra Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram Fig. 1.15 Varasiyar at the Bathing Ghat, oil on canvas, 31.6 x 56”, c. 1890s. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram An anecdote often recounted within Ravi Varma’s family was of a Varasiyar lady who drifted to the wrong bathing tank by mistake. This incident inspired Ravi Varma's depiction of the embarrassed young woman in this painting. The Warriers maintained major temples.
Raja Ravi Varma 26
13 14 15
16 17 18
Fig. 1.16 Wife of Kunjaru Raja, oil on canvas, 26 x 34�, 1870. Collection: Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad Kunjaru Raja was the head of the Mavelikkara family and a close friend of both, Prince Martanda Varma of Travancore and Ravi Varma. Ravi Varma's wife was from Mavelikkara. Fig. 1.17 Nair Lady with Mirror, oil on canvas, 28.6 x 40.6�, 1894. Collection: Government Museum, Chennai This work reflects one of the many familiar sights that structured Ravi Varma's childhood environment. Fig. 1.18 Goda Varma. Collection: R.P. Raja Goda Varma was the modest, quiet sibling who led a comparatively uneventful life in Kilimanur managing the affairs of Ravi Varma and Raja Raja Varma while they were away. He was a musician of considerable talent.
Raja Ravi Varma 28
“Rupika Chawla’s lavishly
produced book is not a heavy academic tome. In style and substance, it is hugely engaging, carrying its scholarship with a remarkable lightness of grace.” —India Today
Rupika Chawla is a conservator of paintings based in Delhi. She has restored several Ravi Varma paintings at her studio in Delhi and she also gives training in conservation. Together with artist A. Ramachandran she had organized the seminal exhibition on Raja Ravi Varma in 1993 at the National Museum, New Delhi, which brought about a strong revival of the artist and his work. She has written extensively on contemporary Indian art, and is the author of Surface and Depth: Indian Artists at Work (Viking), A. Ramachandran: Art of the Muralist (Kala Yatra & Sistas) and Icons of the Raw Earth (Kala Yatra). She also maintained a column in The Indian Express from 2001 to 2004.
ART
Raja Ravi Varma
Painter of Colonial India Rupika Chawla
Other titles of interest
Maharanis Women of Royal India Edited by Abhishek Poddar and Nathaniel Gaskell EBRAHIM ALKAZI
Directing Art Edited by Dr. Parul Dave-Mukherji
Kalamkari Temple Hangings Anna L. Dallapiccola
Mapin Publishing www.mapinpub.com
Printed in India
360 pages, 442 colour illustrations 9.5 x 11.5” (241 x 292 mm), hc ISBN: 978-81-89995-08-9 (Mapin) ISBN: 978-0-944142-41-7 (Grantha) ₹3950 | $75 | £50 2019 4th Reprint | World Rights
The Making of a Modern Indian Art World
“In this sumptuous feast of a book, one of India’s finest art conservators, Rupika Chawla, takes out all her scholastic implements to bring us a
sprawling investigation of the works of 19th century artist Raja Ravi Varma. Chawla locates Ravi Varma in the productive world of salon art shaped by
”
Victorian aesthetics but in the very localised template of India.
—Hindustan Times
“Coming armed with awe-inspiring research and studded with gem-like
details, Raja Ravi Varma: Painter of Colonial India is surely a long overdue opus …Rupika Chawla’s lavishly produced book is not a heavy academic tome. In style and substance, it is hugely engaging, carrying its scholarship
”
with a remarkable lightness of grace.
—S. Kalidas, India Today
“…with this sumptuous, well-researched and deeply written volume,
Chawla has performed a much needed art-historical task by restoring the artist himself back into contemporary national consciousness…There is a racy time-line running through the narrative which makes it most accessible
”
to the scholar as well as the layperson.
—Sadanand Menon, Outlook
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