Portrait of Adi Shankara with Disciples

What it is

This painting by the Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma shows a seated sage in red robes, marked with a forehead symbol and beaded necklaces, teaching four disciples seated on animal skins beside a forest pond. It is identified as a depiction of Adi Shankara with his disciples.

Why it matters

Shankara lived in the early medieval period, long before photography, so no image from his lifetime exists. This painting instead reflects how Indian artists of the colonial era imagined and celebrated him as a great religious teacher and national figure. It tells us more about how later generations wanted to remember Shankara than about his actual appearance.

Look closer

• What details in the painting (clothing, setting, gestures) suggest wisdom or holiness?
• Why would an artist in the 19th or early 20th century choose to paint a figure from over a thousand years earlier?
• What can and can't a painting like this tell us about a historical person?