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Smith Poster Archive - Damayanti and the Swan

Damayanti and the Swan
Artist: Ravi Varma
Publisher: Ravi-Vijaya Press, Ghatkopar
19" X 13 1/16"
H. Daniel Smith Poster Archive, Department of Special Collections, Syracuse University Library, no 0061

This print is the work of the Kerala artist Ravi Varma (d. 1906), a founding figure in the tradition of prints and colored lithographs. This poster portrays an episode from the epic, Mahabharata, in which a swan tells Damayanti about the excellent qualities of Nala, King of Nishadha. The poster is reminiscent of Western representations of the well-known theme of Leda and the Swan.