Today, I came across a rare image of Indian artist Ravi Varma and his brother Raja Raja Varma in a single frame from the late 1800s. Thanks to @sharat for sharing this rare 100+ year-old photograph!
(In the picture, the one who is seated is Ravi Varma, and the one standing next to him is his brother, Raja Varma.)
These two artists were behind some of the most beautiful Hindu mythological paintings and oleograph prints that we continue to admire and collect even after a century.
The Varma brothers worked together in the art business, traveling to various places and collaborating closely on most of Ravi Varma’s paintings with remarkable coordination. While Ravi Varma was the visionary, responsible for the main elements of a painting, Raja Raja Varma played a supporting role, focusing on background details. Although we often see only Ravi Varma’s signature, Raja Raja Varma’s signature appears on a few paintings, mostly in later years.
Raja Raja Varma, Ravi Varma’s brother, was known as a plein-air artist and also served as his assistant, secretary, and business manager. The two brothers were deeply attached, and Raja Raja Varma’s death in 1905 profoundly affected Ravi Varma, who passed away the following year in 1906.