Mithila: The Procession

The Mithila or Madhubani painting tradition originated in Bihar, and is claimed to be around 1200 years old. It is primarily practiced by women, who used to create these works on the walls of their house interiors. It was only by chance in 1934, when a massive earthquake destroyed of the artists’ mud homes, that these murals were discovered by the outside world. The characteristics of Mithila paintings are an element of horror vacui, the use of twigs, fingers and nibs to draw and the employing of a lot of floral motifs. This particular Mithila painting depicts a wedding procession with the groom (larger in size) on a horse, followed by the bride in a palanquin. There are other figures accompanying the bridal party and a hints of a shamiana can be seen in the form of regular curves running along the top of the space.