Important Notice

C Raja Raja Varma was an Indian painter whose “name and art are only known within the narrow confines of art historians dealing with modern Indian art. Even so, his landscape paintings are housed in several of the grand museums and collections of contemporary Indian art, where these pictures, of rather unassuming sizes, have the power to capture the attention of the beholder on account of their almost impressionistic use of pigments.” (Erwin... C Raja Raja Varma was an Indian painter whose “name and art are only known within the narrow confines of art historians dealing with modern Indian art. Even so, his landscape paintings are housed in several of the grand museums and collections of contemporary Indian art, where these pictures, of rather unassuming sizes, have the power to capture the attention of the beholder on account of their almost impressionistic use of pigments.” (Erwin Neumayer and Christine Schelberger eds., Raja Ravi Varma – Portrait of an Artist: The Diary of C. Raja Raja Varma, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 1)

Raja Varma was considered to be a plein-air artist and was likely one of India’s first few modern landscape artists. His paintings were a reflection of his detailed understanding of the natural world around him. “The quality of these landscapes is superior to any other works of an Indian painter in that genre and of those times...” (Neumayer and Schelberger eds., p. 1)

The youngest brother of Raja Ravi Varma, Raja Varma was the former’s constant companion, artistic collaborator, assistant, secretary, and business manager right up to his death in 1905. He also maintained a detailed diary for several years that serves as an insightful document into their professional and personal life together.

It is thus difficult to separate the life of Raja Varma from that of his better-known brother. “Their symbiotic relationship was something that was very much acknowledged by their acquaintances, who called them the Ram and Laxman of Indian art. Although Raja Varma’s own contribution towards Indian art – particularly his talent for landscape painting – is hardly known, he thrived solely in the shadow of his overwhelmingly famous brother.” (Neumayer and Schelberger eds., p. xiii)

Despite his preference for landscapes, Raja Varma “also painted numerous studies of women against romanticised backdrops of work or leisure. He accompanied Ravi Varma on his “tour of discovery” of India between 1888–’89; they visited royal courts, and recorded – in vivid detail – their winding travels in search of patronage.” (Simran Agarwal, “A family affair: Few know about the artistic prowess of Raja Ravi Varma’s siblings,” scroll.in, 3 August 2020, online)

What is less known is the fact that Raja Varma would often assist his older brother in the process of painting such as “the backdrops and landscapes of his Puranic paintings.” (Agarwal, online) However, the younger brother largely remained in the shadows of Ravi Varma. The paintings that they worked on together continued to bear only Ravi Varma’s signature right up till 1903 and 1904 when certain paintings appeared with their joint signatures.

Similarly, Ravi Varma would also wield his brush when it came to his younger brother’s canvases. The present lot is one such example and depicts a young princess playing with a baby. It is believed that when Raja Varma invited his brother to see the canvas, Ravi Varma added many finishing touches to enhance the beauty of the work.

The figures in Baby and Princess are based on members of the extended Varma family. The baby in the painting is K R Ravi Varma, Mangala Bai’s son and Ravi Varma’s nephew. The princess, who is about 10 at the time of this work, is Rohini Tirunal Injenji Tampuratty, who went on to feature in other works by the Varma brothers in later years.

There is a playfulness to the baby’s features that has been captured wonderfully by the artist, as has the lively joy on the princess’ person. By choosing to depict this particular moment, Raja Varma takes the image beyond the prosaic to create a mood of peace and harmony.

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