Draupadi at the Court of Virat-
 
Draupadi has been coerced by Keechaka as he is enamoured by her. She pleads for help before Virat as her husband Dharmaputra, also disguised as the court brahmin Kanaka looks on. This was the first picture Raja Ravi Varma was commissioned to be painted for the Picture Gallery at Trivandrum.
Details
Title: Draupadi at the Court of Virat
Creator: Raja Ravi Varma
Date Created: 1897
Location: India
Type: Painting
Creator's Lifetime: 1848-04-29/1906-10-02
Creator's Biography: Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) was a prolific Indian artist who is recognized for his resorting to the academic realistic style of painting. His portraits of English and Indian royalty and aristocracy were well received. His paintings on Hindu religious and mythological subjects and paintings from classical and literary sources were highly sought after even during his lifetime. He painted several copies of his works and this demand led to the suggestion to have his paintings printed in the form of oleographs. The Ravi Varma Fine Art Lithographic Press was established in Bombay (now Mumbai) and commenced operations in 1894. Many of Ravi Varma's paintings were printed as chromolithographs at this Press. These chromolithographs would have a tremendous impact on religion, society and aesthetics. They went on to democratize art leading to immortalize Ravi Varma in the minds of the people of the Indian subcontinent.