Tilkayat Govardhanlalji sitting on a red velvet sofa like a Maharaja
by Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906)
circa 1900
Lithograph Published by Ravi Varma press
29.25 x 20.75 in. (74.3 x 52.7 cm)
Just as Govardhanlalji is considred the most respected amongst Tilkayats, Raja Ravi Varma is known as the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. Raja Ravi Varma was born in an aristocratic family in the princely state of Travancore. At a young age he secured the patronage of the monarch and began formal training thereafter. His paintings are considered to be among the best examples of the fusion of Indian traditions with the techniques of European academic art. Raja Ravi Varma visited Udaipur in 1902 and there many artists of Nathdwara met him including Ghasiram and Kundanlal. He also painted Tilkayat Govardhanlalji. Seeing the immense demand for the paintings of Govardhanlalji, amongst the pilgrims of Nathdwara, he went on to make lithographic prints of his paintings so as to make them affordable to the common man. These lithographs were printed in sizes 10” x 7”; 14” x 10”; 20” x 14”; 28” x 20” at the Ravi Varma Press and went on to become very popular.