The Birth of Shakuntala: A Story Across Time!!
This March 2026, I found another gem in the lithograph market. This Large format chromolithograph from the 1890s depicts “The Birth of Shakuntala”, painted by Raja Ravi Varma, the artist who brought characters from the Ramayana and Mahabharata in to everyday life through his art.
Shakuntala was not just another subject for Ravi Varma. Over the years, we can see multiple versions of Shakuntala and her related paintings again and again in his work.. What I am trying to say is, he painted her repeatedly and following paintings are the examples;
- Shakuntala Patralekhana (mentioned in a letter to T. Madhava Rao, August 1881)
- An incomplete sketch from Ravi Varma’s sketchbook of sage kanva and baby Shakuntala.
- Shakuntala and Menaka - Dated 1896
- Shakuntala Removing a Thorn from Her Foot (1898)
- Shakuntala and Her Companions (Anasuya and Priyamvada - Undated
- Shakuntala and Her Companions - Undated
- Shakuntala’s Impending Calamity - Dated 1901
- Bharata and the Lion Cub (Shakuntala’s son)- Dated 1890
Shakuntala is a character who exists between two worlds. Guarded by birds, Raised in a forest, she moves with a quiet, natural grace, nurturing plants, bonding with animals, living close to the rhythms of nature. She falls in love without calculation, which becomes both her strength and her vulnerability. And when life turns difficult, she does not collapse, she carries herself with dignity and raises her son Bharata on her own.
Her strength is not loud. It is contained, steady, and resilient. Perhaps that is what drew Ravi Varma to her and now me..
The Print Itself
This particular lithograph print “The birth of Shakuntala” has historical significance. It belongs to the early phase of the Ravi Varma Fine Art Lithographic Press (F.A.L. Press). And that’s exactly what makes it special.
Collectors are often drawn to origins, the earliest versions, the first attempts, the beginning of a process. Early prints carry a different kind of value, not just in rarity, but in the story they hold.
Based on its unusually large size and detailing, this piece likely comes from the initial years of production.
There is also a small loss.
The original press details at the bottom have been trimmed by a previous owner, probably without realising their importance. It’s a quiet reminder that these prints were once everyday objects, used for devotion or decoration, not preserved as historical artefacts the way we see them today.
The Story of the F.A.L. Press
To understand this print, we need to step slightly back in time.
In the mid-1800s, lithography became popular across the world because it was more flexible and efficient than older techniques like engraving and etching. At that time, Indian artists, including Ravi Varma, often sent their paintings to Germany for printing, due to the superior quality available there.
The idea of establishing a press in India grew gradually for Ravi Varma. It is believed that T. Madhava Rao, the former Diwan of Travancore, encouraged Ravi Varma to reproduce his paintings as prints for wider reach.
Around the same time, Ravi Varma’s work was gaining international attention.
At the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, his paintings were exhibited, even though he himself could not attend due to the social restrictions of the time. With the support of Sayajirao Gaekwad III, his works travelled abroad and received recognition.
(Chicago World's Columbian Exposition and The Republicstatue and administration building in 1893.)
Soon after, the idea became reality.
In 1894, Ravi Varma established the Ravi Varma Fine Art Lithographic Press in Girgaum, Bombay.
Under the technical guidance of the German lithographer Fritz Schleicher, the press began producing high-quality chromolithographs that closely resembled his original paintings.
The very first chromolithograph printed there was “The Birth of Shakuntala” (then titled “Sakoontala”), released in July 1894. A couple of months later, in September 1894, prints of the goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati were released.
This marked a turning point in Indian visual culture.
For the first time, mythological imagery was no longer limited to original paintings, it entered homes, reaching a much wider audience.
A Press in Motion
The journey of the press itself was far from stable:
- In 1896, it moved from Girgaum to Ghatkopar due to the bubonic plague
- In 1898, it shifted to Malavli near Lonavala. Later, after a fire accident, it moved to Karla
- In 1903, it was eventually sold to Fritz Schleicher
History says, the later presses after the FAL press, at their peak, they have produced up to 800 impressions an hour due to its demand. So sizes and formats became more standardised.
Thts why we could easily identify the early prints. This one belong to a phase when the process was still evolving.
Why This Print Matters. This print is not just an image. It sits at the intersection of several journeys of a story, an artist, and a technology. From hand-painted canvas to mechanical reproduction, from royal patronage to public access, it reflects a moment when art in India began to change.
A Story That Travels
What makes this even more fascinating is where the story itself may have come from.
During my research, I found that Ravi Varma’s composition for The Birth of Shakuntala, have been inspired by sculptures on the pillars of an ancient temple in Thiruvaanaikaaval, Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), carvings that are over a thousand years old.
From a temple pillar carved a thousand years ago during the Cholan period.., to a royal painter’s canvas, to a printed image that found its way into homes.
Shakuntala’s story has quietly travelled across time, changing form but never losing its grace.
A single print can hold so much history within it. That’s why I don’t see them as just prints. They are stories, quitetly waiting for someone to notice and listen...
Click here to read more about the FAL Press history!
Sources:
- Raja Ravi Varma: Portrait of an Artist – The Diary of C. Raja Raja Varma
- Raja Ravi Varma: Painter of Colonial India — Rupika Chawla