Important Notice

Dushyanta and Shakuntala

Watercolour on paper
7.25 x 10.5 in (18.4 x 26.6 cm)

PROVENANCE
The Tandan Collection

PUBLISHED
R C Tandan, The Art of Vijaivargiya, Allahabad: Allahabad Block Works, 1935, pl. 6 (illustrated)


Vijaivargiya's paintings demonstrate traits characteristic of the new Bengal School but retain a strong, personal style. "Vijaivargiya is an earnest student of Hindu mythology...he has also studied Kalidasa with care, and many of his paintings illustrate scenes from...the 'Shakuntala'" (Tandan, Vijaivargiya, p. 4)

Shakuntala and Dushyanta are the two main characters in the Sanskrit poet Kalidasa's play, Abhijanashakuntala. The daughter of the sage Vishwamitra and apsara Menaka, Shakuntala was raised by rishi Kanva amidst nature. Dushyanta, king of Hastinapur, encounters Shakuntala while hunting, and the two fall in love. This painting most likely depicts the moment when King Dushyanta first sees Shakuntala and is enamoured by her beauty.

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