A scene from a Ramayana series (the 'Second' Guler Ramayana), depicting Rama about to kill the demon king Ravana in the battle between the two armies Guler, circa 1790-1800A scene from a Ramayana series (the 'Second' Guler Ramayana), depicting Rama about to kill the demon king Ravana in the battle between the two armies Guler, circa 1790-1800gouache and gold on paper, gold-decorated blue floral inner border, flecked pink outer border 256 x 357 mm.ProvenanceBy family repute, acquired at Spink, London, in the 1980s.Private UK collection, 1980s-present.The scene depicts a climactic moment in the battle between the armies of Rama and of Ravana, the demon king, at which, after several days fighting, the arrows of Rama cut off each of Ravana's heads in turn - but they grow back again. Rama is reminded by his charioteer, Matali, to use his Brahma-weapon - which finally defeats the demon king.This superb painting is an illustration from the series known as the 'second' Guler Ramayana, attributed to the first generation of artists after Manaku and Nainsukh. The first section of the series is referred to by W. G. Archer as the Kangra Ramayana series, and is dated circa 1775-1780 (and also as the 'Bharany' Ramayana). This comprises illustrations from the first three books of the Ramayana. Our painting belongs to the second section of the series, comprising illustrations from Books Five and Six, and specifically to Book Six, the Yuddhakanda or the Book of War. Goswamy and Fischer date this second section to circa 1790 and list known paintings belonging to it (M.C. Beach, E. Fischer, B.N. Goswamy (ed.), Masters of Indian Painting 1650-1900, Zurich, 2011, p. 690).J. P. Losty discusses another illustration from Book Six depicting Ram, Sita, Lakshmana and the monkey army seated inside the golden chariot about to begin their return to Ayodhya. He dates this illustration to circa 1800 and attributes it to an artist from Guler, noting that the human faces are depicted with an angular profile characteristic of the Guler style and sharp noses which bear the influence of Nainsukh rather than the smoother profile usually associated with Kangra. He suggests that it is quite likely this second part of the series was painted in Guler during the last years of Raja Bhup Singh's reign prior to its annexation by Sikh forces in 1813. (See J. P. Losty, A Mystical Realm of Love: Pahari Paintings from the Eva and Konrad Seitz Collection, London 2017, no. 22, pp. 119, 122-123).Other examples from this series have appeared at auction: particular comparison can be made with the following:Christie's, Arts of India, 12th June 2018, lot 26 (depicting Rama, Lakhshmana and Sita at the hermitage of Bharadvaja).Bonhams, New York, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art, 11th September 2012, lot 89 (Rama and Lakhshmana conferring with the monkey army while other monkeys are in combat with the demon army).Sotheby's New York, Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art, 21st March 2012, lot 210 (Vibhishana bowing before Rama, surrounded by the monkey and bear army, with the fortress of Lanka in the background). Both of these have the noticeable pink-tinged ridges of the hills, seen in our painting, though less pronounced here.Sotheby's New York, Important Indian Paintings from the Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck Collection, 22nd March 2002, lots 59 and 60 (Guler or Kangra, circa 1790; the trees and branches carried by the monkeys are prominent - hints of Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane - and the decoration on the demon chariots is very similar).Sotheby's New York, Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art, 20th March 2013, lot 319 (Rama and Lakhshmana wounded by the arrow of Indrajit).Sotheby's New York, Indian and Southeast Asian Art, 19th September 1996, lot 185 (the monkey army beginning their assault on Lanka under the direction of Rama).Sotheby's, Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, 23rd April 1997, lot 149 (Hanuman conducting a reconnaissance of the fortress of Lanka).Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, Fine Oriental Miniatures, Manuscripts, Islamic Works of Art, and 19th Century Paintings, 14th December 1979, lot 225 (there attributed to Garwhal, circa 1800).For paintings from the first series (1775-80), see for example:Goswamy and Fischer, op. cit., nos. 143-145, pp. 340-343.D. Ehnbom, Indian Miniatures: the Ehrenfeld Collection, New York 1985, nos. 116-118.S. Kossak, Indian Court Painting, 16th-19th Century, New Yorkl 1997, no. 62. Sotheby's New York, March 22, 2002, lots 47 & 48.Sotheby's, Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, 12th October 1981, lot 107.A. G. Poster, Realms of Heroism: Indian Paintings at the Brooklyn Museum, New York 1994, pp. 263-264, nos. 215 & 216.Other pages can also be found in the Mittal Collection, Shimla Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.