By IANS,
Kilimanoor (Kerala) : Reproduced works of four Raja Ravi Varma paintings are missing from the art gallery of the Kilimanoor Palace – the birth place of the noted 19th century Indian artist, police said Sunday.
“A trustee of the palace informed police that four duplicates of the Raja Ravi Varma paintings are missing. The canvass paintings have been removed after destroying their frames,” said police sub-inspector Anil Kumar, who visited the palace, 50 km away from Thiruvananthapuram.
Raja Ravi Varma, a noted Indian painter who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana was born in this palace April 29, 1848. He passed away Oct 2, 1906.
A police officer said nobody stays in the art gallery of the 18th century palace.
Descendants of the Travancore royal family reside in a portion of the palace, which is a complex of big and medium sized buildings, temples, sacred groves and two huge ponds.
Varma’s paintings are considered to be among the best examples of the fusion of Indian traditions with the techniques of European academic art.
Varma is most remembered for his paintings of beautiful sari clad women, who were portrayed as very shapely and graceful. His exposure in the west came when he won the first prize in Vienna Art Exhibition in 1873.