Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi - Becheram Das Datta

A traditional Kalighat painting depicting the warrior queen Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, rendered with bold lines and flat, expressive colours.

This print belongs to the Kalighat school of painting, a genre that emerged in nineteenth-century Kolkata. These works were produced by artists who settled near the Kalighat Kali Temple, creating accessible imagery for pilgrims and visitors. The style is defined by bold, sweeping lines and a simplified approach to form, often using bright, flat colours applied to paper.

The subject is Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, a figure of resistance during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. She is depicted in a dynamic, martial posture, reflecting her reputation as a warrior queen. The composition includes a horse and two attendants, arranged in a manner that prioritises narrative clarity over realistic perspective. The artist employs a limited palette, using primary colours to distinguish the figures from the plain background. The lines are fluid and confident, characteristic of the rapid production methods used by Kalighat artists to meet the demand for popular prints.

Becheram Das Datta was one of the practitioners of this style, and his work captures the intersection of traditional Indian iconography and the changing social climate of colonial India. The inclusion of Bengali script within the image provides context, identifying the subject and the artist. This print offers a view into the visual culture of the period, where historical events were translated into accessible, graphic formats. The work is a representative example of how local artists documented figures of national importance through the medium of popular printmaking, blending historical narrative with the aesthetic conventions of the Kalighat tradition.