TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 146

 Echoes of Renaissance: The Influence of 'Madonna Litta' on Raja Ravi Varma's 'Mother and Child'

'Madonna Litta,' a fifteenth-century painting by Leonardo da Vinci (Image 02), has always been one of my personal favourites. While the enigma of the Mona Lisa often captivates many, I have always been drawn to the tender, motherly gaze of the Madonna as she looks down at the chubby infant Christ, who suckles at her breast. 

The intimate connection between the Virgin Mary and the infant Christ in Leonardo's masterpiece evokes a similar sentiment found in another painting by an artist close to my heart. Raja Ravi Varma's 'Mother and Child' (also known as 'Nair Lady with Her Child') shares a striking similarity in its composition, with both works evoking the universal bond of motherly love. The mother's gaze in both paintings radiates protection and deep emotional connection, reinforcing the sanctity and beauty of motherhood.

However, the purpose of this write-up is not to merely compare the similarities between the two artworks. It is more likely that, during his formative years at the Travancore court, Ravi Varma studied copies and prints of European Renaissance masterpieces in the royal collection. While his work reflects certain elements of Madonna Litta, Ravi Varma successfully reinterprets these influences to align with the aesthetic sensibilities of the native Travancoreans in the late nineteenth century.

The 'Mother and Child' (Image 01) is undoubtedly a masterpiece from Ravi Varma’s early years in Travancore, when he served as a court painter to Maharajah Ayilyam Tirunal. Evidence for its attribution to this period comes not from the painted surface itself, but from the verso of the canvas, which contains valuable information in the form of a handwritten note. This note provides the title of the painting as well as the date it was completed or added to the royal collection.

The title, or rather the legible portion of the note, reads as follows: 

“A Sudra Lady with an infant in her hands……with her sister…………….of the child”

By Ravi Vurmah

Koil Thambooran

23rd July 1877.