Did you know that ‘aristocratic Kshatriyas’ were not permitted to cross the sea?
Exactly around 130 years, i.e. in 1894, India made its mark on the international stage at the Colombian Exposition in Chicago. This expo was held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492.
Representing India there were two remarkable figures; one was Swami Vivekananda, who gave his remarkable speech at the "Parliament of Religions". The other Indian to be represented was Raja Ravi Varma who sent his ten paintings to the exposition as he couldn’t attend the event himself due to the restrictive customs that, the aristocratic Kshatriyas cannot travel overseas. So his paintings crossed the oceans and spoke for him at Chicago expo and caught the international attention.
But Ravi Varma was able to send the following 10 paintings to Colombian Exposition in Chicago with the sponsorship given by Sayajirao III Gaekwad of Baroda. Mentioned so in the label as “Exhibited by H. H. The Maharaja Gaikwar” ( Shown in the picture below).
The artworks he chose to showcase were a reflection of his deep appreciation for the diversity of India and its people, particularly the everyday lives of women from different social backgrounds.
Following are the 10 paintings by Ravi Varma which were exhibited at Colombian Exposition, Chicago;
- 'Begum at the Bath';
This is one of the most beautiful Paintings of Ravi Varma where he had depicted the life of an aristrocatic Muslim which was named 'Begum at the Bath'. It is an oil on canvas, dimensions 30.25” x 48”, dated 1894.
Ravi Varma has depicted the life of an aristrocatic Muslim in the 'Begum at the Bath'. After the expo when the painting was returned to India, Begam at the bath was sold to Seth Latchman Das of Mathura.
He was a friend of Ravi Varma who was the head of large banking firm based in Mathura. He was awarded the C.I.E (Companion of the Indian Empire) for his non sectarian charities, hospitality and goodness of heart. The picture shown here is the portrait of Seth Latchman Das of Mathura painted by Ravi Varma in 1896, oil on canvas, dimensions 50” x 70”. It is a private collection.
2. ‘There comes Papa';
There comes Papa is an oil on Canvas, 32” x 49” dated 1893. Collection: Travancore Royal family, Kaudiar palace, Thiruvananthapuram.
'There comes Papa' is a painting depicting a mother signaling the arrival of her husband to her son. The main figures in the painting are Ravi Varma's daughter, Mahaprabha (whose name is the same as her mother's), and her one-year-old son, Marthanda Varma.
Details of the paintings explained:
- The garment the mother has draped in the painting is called ‘Achipudava’. It is white cotton thin fabric with gold borders worn by upper-caste women.
- Ravi Varma was advised to include a dog in the painting, as it would be appealing to American viewers. It's important to note that over a century ago, pets were uncommon in Indian households due to the belief that they were unclean.
3. 'Decking the Bride';
'Decking the Bride,' created in 1893, is an oil painting on canvas measuring 29" x 46". It captures the essence of a Parsi wedding and showcases the rituals practiced by this refined community that Ravi Varma held in high regard. The painting portrays a Parsi bride-to-be being adorned by her mother and sister in preparation for the wedding ceremony.
Details of the paintings explained:
- It is an unusual subject where Ravi Varma has meticulously painted the garland of tuberoses and roses worn by a Parsi bride in the painting."
- The Sadra of a muslin, Sadra or Sudreh is a religious vestments worn by Zoroastrians. It is a long vest worn under the sari by the women.
- On the silver tray are all the items essential to initiate a Parsi marriage, which also bear the influence of Hindu Custom. There is the rose water sprinkler.
- The pigani used for ceremonies is filled with red vermillion paste, which is used to apply a 'tila' or tika with a bit of rice on the forehead.
- The conical silver container called Soparo is used in Zoroastrian weddings.
- On the silver plate, there is a coconut and clothes for the bridegroom. 3.
4. The Gypsies of South India' or Poverty;
‘The Gypsies of South India' or ‘Poverty’ oil on canvas, 30” x 47”, dated 1893. ‘The painting depicts a nomadic tribal woman singing with the tanpura, a little girl with a wistful far away look in her eyes, and a boy preoccupied with his itches. It is a beautiful painting depicting the difficult life of the underprivileged.
Details of the paintings questioned:
- The title says “Gypsies of South India” But normally woman from the northern region of the India wore their saree pallu to the left hand side of their shoulders where as women from southern India wear it to their right hand side. So the title is a bit confusing.
- The kid with his ‘shika’ hair style. Some one please correct me if I am wrong again. A century ago in India a particular community used to have a small portion of hair left in their crown after shaving their head and this type of hair style is called Shika or Choti. And guess they are not Gypsies.
I wish someone could correct me if I am wrong because these are my observations and they could be wrong. But at the same time we should also know that, over the past century, the titles of Ravi Varma's paintings have undergone frequent modifications. It is difficult to determine whether titles were originally assigned by the Artist himself or by later museum curators and owners.
5. 'The Bombay Songstress' ;
"The Bombay Songstress" is a classical musician and could be any of the singers who modeled for Ravi Varma. It has not been possible to trace the original painting; a postcard that inspired the original is the only evidence of this work (reference from the book "Raja Ravi Varma - The Painter of Colonial India" by Rupika Chawla).
6. 'Expectation';
'Expectation', oil on canvas, 30” x 40”, dated 1894. The painting depicts a young woman dressed in Hindu style waiting for her lover.
7. 'The Malabar Beauty';
it is uncertain if the following painting is the very painting which traveled to Chicago, but this painting confirms to the description as found in the biographies of Ravi Varma.
8. ‘At the well’;
Raja Ravi Varma sent a painting described by biographers in the following words: At the well depicts a daughter-in-law of a South Indian bramhin house who is tired of her chores yet her mother in law never ceases scolding her.
A painting of this description has not been found. However, there is a sketch by Varma which meets this description.
9. ‘Sister’s Souvenir’;
An undisclosed artwork titled ‘Sister’s Souvenir’ now know as ‘Sisterly Remembrance’! depicts a Hindu Maratta family with a significant Ganesha idol in the background. An interesting piece of information has emerged, which helps identify this painting as one of the ten artworks that were sent to Chicago. It was discovered that all the frames of the paintings sent to Chicago had the title of the respective work followed by the inscription "Ravi Varma of Travancore, S. India." Due to some confusion, the frame of 'Begam at the Bath' was mistakenly exchanged with the frame of 'A Sister's Souvenir,' labeled with a price of $500 (see reference picture provided).
Therefore, it is clear that both 'Begam' and 'Sister Souvenir' were two of the ten paintings in question.
10. ‘The Disappointing News’;
The other missing painting is described as ‘The Disappointing News’, portrays a reclining woman from the upper class, resembling the one admired by Sir Seshaiah Sastri, the Dewan of Pudukottai. Sastri had seen one of Ravi Varma's paintings titled 'The Nair Lady under the Mosquito Net,' created for the Prince of Wales, and desired something similar. Given the frequent changes in the titles of Ravi Varma's artworks, it remains uncertain whether 'Disappointing News' is indeed the same as 'Nair Lady Under the Mosquito Net,' which was sold to Sastri and later acquired by the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad.
Rupika Chawla in her book “Raja Ravi Varma - The painter of colonial India” says, There is constant confusion about the titles of various paintings and it is not always possible to state whether the titles were given by the brothers, Ravi Varma and Raja Raja Varma (Ravi Varma’s younger brother and co- Artist for most of Ravi Varma's artworks) or subsequent museum curators and owners. The titles of Ravi Varma’s paintings have been frequently altered over the past 100 years.
The Painting shown here is ‘Nair Lady Under the Mosquito Net’, oil on Canvas, 33.5”x 25.25”, Undated, collection: Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad. ( Claimed to be ‘Disappointing News’).
All the above 10 paintings were accepted for the exhibition and Ravi Varma was awarded two medals and as many diplomas.