Preparatory Sketch for Matsyagandha

This is a preparatory sketch by Raja Ravi Varma for the picture Matsyagandha. The painting by Varma was printed as a chromolithograph by the Ravi Varma Press with the title 'Matsyagandha'. Shantanu, the father of Bhishma, went on a hunting trip and reached a forest on the banks of the Ganga. He was enamoured with the smell of musk wafting in the air. He went in search of the source of the fragrance and reached the cottage of a fisherman. This fisherman had earlier caught a fish and when he cut it open he found a baby girl. Since she had the smell of a fish she was also called Matsyagandha. Shantanu immediately fell in love with Matsyagandha. In this sketch by Raja Ravi Varma, Matsyagandha is seen rowing a boat with Shantanu seated beside her.