Raja Ravi Varma – "Mandodari" (1910): A Portrait of Virtue, Charity, and Quiet Devotion
Free worldwide shipping | US customers no surprise tariffs
Enquire About This Piece
Instagram
Email
Arrives Exactly as Expected
Quality Control
Every painting is carefully inspected by our team before dispatch.
If requested, we'll also send you a photo for approval before shipping.
Secure Shipping
Each piece is shipped in a rigid protective tube to reach you safely.
Our team personally inspects each piece before dispatch.
Customer Service
Our London team is on hand to assist with any queries or issues.
We resolve concerns directly to ensure your satisfaction.
Shipping Policy
Free worldwide shipping | Exempt from US tariffs
Delivered in a protective hard-case tube with full insurance to ensure it arrives safely and undamaged.
Our prints are created using layered hand application, traditional pigments and natural binders. Drying and curing times vary depending on humidity, temperature and seasonal conditions.
Read our full delivery and fulfilment policy.
Etymology
Provenance
Based on an original composition by Raja Ravi Varma and disseminated through the Ravi Varma Press as a chromolithograph around 1910, Mandodari—also popularly known as Lady Giving Alms—depicts the noble queen of Lanka in an intimate moment of compassion and piety. Rather than emphasizing her association with Ravana, the painting celebrates Mandodari's enduring reputation as one of the revered Panchakanyas, women remembered in Hindu tradition for their wisdom, virtue, and moral fortitude. Emerging from a Shiva temple with a prayer thali in hand, she pauses to offer alms to a devotee, while the sacred Nandi bull quietly presides over the scene.
Rendered in Ravi Varma's characteristic Academic Realist style, the composition harmoniously blends devotional symbolism with human tenderness. Mandodari's richly draped attire and regal bearing affirm her royal stature, yet her humble act of charity reveals an inner nobility that transcends worldly power. Popularized through oleographic reproductions issued by the Ravi Varma Press, the image contributed to a broader appreciation of female figures from the Ramayana whose strength lies not in conquest, but in compassion, discernment, and steadfast righteousness.
Arrives Exactly as Expected
Quality Control
Every print is carefully inspected by our team before dispatch.
If requested, we’ll also send you a photo for approval before shipping.
Secure Shipping
Each piece is shipped in a rigid protective tube to reach you safely.
Our team personally inspects each piece before dispatch.
Customer Service
Our London team is on hand to assist with any queries or issues.
We resolve concerns directly to ensure your satisfaction.
Choose options