Menaka and Shakuntala - 02

This is an early and rare oleograph of “Menaka and Shakuntala” by Ravi Varma, from 1910s/20s. Shakuntala's story is told in the epic poem, Mahabharata. In this image, Ravi Varma depicts how Shakuntala, caught up in reverie of her husband King Dushyanta, failed to greet Rishi Durvasa, who cursed her that the person she was thinking of would forget her. King Dushyanta indeed failed to recognise her when she went to his palace, and deeply disappointed, Shakuntala takes refuge in her mother Menaka's arms as she is spirited away to the heavens.
The oleograph has a signature on the bottom left. There is some fading of colour due to passage of time.