Skip to main content
Advanced Search
The demon prince Indrajit charges into battle, from the Cambodian or Thai version of the epic of Rama
The demon prince Indrajit charges into battle, from the Cambodian or Thai version of the epic of Rama

The demon prince Indrajit charges into battle, from the Cambodian or Thai version of the epic of Rama

Place of OriginCambodia or Thailand
Dateapprox. 1900-1950
MaterialsPaint and gold on cloth
DimensionsH. 94 in x W. 33 1/2 in, H. 238.8 cm x W. 85 cm (image); H. 98 in x W. 37 7/8 in, H. 248.9 cm x W. 94.9 cm (frame)
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB60D30+.c
DepartmentSoutheast Asian Art
ClassificationsPainting
On View
On view
More Information

In Thai and Cambodian tradition demons have wide, glaring eyes, bushy eyebrows, large noses, and prominent teeth and fangs.

The upper demon here is Prince Indrajit, son of the demon king Ravana. In the Indian epic Ramayana and its Southeast Asian versions, Ravana abducts the wife of the hero Rama.

Rama and his forces set out to find and free her, and a huge battle follows. Here Indrajit charges into the conflict, carried on the shoulders of a lower-ranking demon. He will be killed, together with his father and their forces, and Rama’s wife will be rescued.

This painting comes from a series representing characters from the Cambodian and Thai versions of the Ramayana. We don’t know where or how these paintings were originally displayed. Maybe they decorated a theater or even a hotel lobby.