8¹⁄₂ x 5³⁄₄ in. (21.6 x 14.6 cm.) (folio)
5³⁄₈ x 3¹⁄₈ in. (13.7 x 7.9 cm.) (image)

‌Sotheby’s New York, 21-22 March 1990, lot 47.
Christie's South Kensington, 20 April 2007, lot 453.

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Lot Essay

In legends such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, the nymph Rambha is sent by the gods to test the tapasya, or discipline, of the sages. In this scene from the Ramayana. Indra sends Rambha to seduce the sage Vishvamitra. Counting his beads, Vishvamitra keeps his gaze away from the beautiful nymph and curses her as she transforms into stone. Vishvamitra's legs are bound together at the knees to show his disdain for bodily comfort. A similar subject from the Freer Ramayana (acc. no. F1907.271) is published by Milio Beach in The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court, Washington D.C. 1982, p. 148.