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Source Description

An illustration from the Jataka story of Prince Vessantara. The painting is believed to be from the early part of the reign of Rama V (1868-1910). This Jataka tells of the Prince's selfless generosity. In this painting Sakka appears overhead while simultaneously appearing to the Prince as Jujok, a Brahmin, to ask for his wife as a slave. The Prince consents, and as a reward for such generosity, Sakka grants him eight wishes.The scene takes place in front of two salas (pavilions) which emulate Thai temple architecture. The background setting: the muted black and gray impressionistic landscape indicates the Chinese influence on painting at that time and contrasts with the bright polychrome foreground. The figures of Prince Vessantara and Princess Matsi are dressed and crowned in royal attire, typical of depictions of Rattankosin and earlier periods of Thai art. The Sakka (and his alter self - the Brahmin), as customary, are depicted in green.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
81906
label
Vessantara Jataka, Chapter 10: Indra, in the Form of a Brahmin, Requests Maddi from Vessantara
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
81906
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
Vessantara Jataka, Chapter 10: Indra, in the Form of a Brahmin, Requests Maddi from Vessantara
description
An illustration from the Jataka story of Prince Vessantara. The painting is believed to be from the early part of the reign of Rama V (1868-1910). This Jataka tells of the Prince's selfless generosity. In this painting Sakka appears overhead while simultaneously appearing to the Prince as Jujok, a Brahmin, to ask for his wife as a slave. The Prince consents, and as a reward for such generosity, Sakka grants him eight wishes.The scene takes place in front of two salas (pavilions) which emulate Thai temple architecture. The background setting: the muted black and gray impressionistic landscape indicates the Chinese influence on painting at that time and contrasts with the bright polychrome foreground. The figures of Prince Vessantara and Princess Matsi are dressed and crowned in royal attire, typical of depictions of Rattankosin and earlier periods of Thai art. The Sakka (and his alter self - the Brahmin), as customary, are depicted in green.
provenance
Collection of James E. Bogle, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1958, by purchase [in Bangkok, Thailand from Peng Seng, an antique dealer]; Walters Art Museum, 2010, by gift.
date
ca. 1870 (Rattanakosin)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Painting & Drawing
paintings
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
88
height
64
dimensionsRaw
H: 34 5/8 x W: 25 3/16 in. (88 x 64 cm)
style
Rattanakosin
Source extras
reign
Rama V (1868-1910)
med
pigments on cloth
creator_ids
2501
collection_ids
SEA
exhibition_ids
2501
2500
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
9e1303d28e23e641