Royal Collection, Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom
Location History:
Ashoka's Queen (Tissarakshita, Queen of Asoka) was painted by Abanindranath Tagore in Calcutta in 1911. In January 1912, the work was gifted to Queen Mary by Lady Hardinge, the wife of the then Viceroy of India. Following this, the painting was added to the Royal Collection of the British monarchy, where it currently resides. The painting was temporarily displayed in public exhibition of the Royal Collection Trust’s “Eastern Encounters” in Edinburg (2020-21).
“Tissarakshita, Queen of Ashoka” is a popular artwork created by Indian artist Abanindranath Tagore, created in the early half of the 20th century. A graduate from the Bengal School of Art, known for merging Indian themes with wash painting techniques inspired by East Asian art. This particular artwork is admired for its poetice representation of historical storytelling and restrained spiitual expression. Tagore has quite thoughtfully used the wash technique— thin, translucent layers of watercolour, giving it the appearance of a soft, ethereal ambience echoing the delicate aesthetics of Mughal miniatures and Japanese painting.
The artwork depicts Queen Tissarakshita in an orientation of right profile view, elegantly frozen in the midst of her moment of contemplation. Her garments, jewellery and just the overall attire showcase her as a royal and connected to a period of then prevailing rule of Emperor Ashoka, an iconic ruler in the Indian history.
The background includes floral patterns and various other objects rendered with a decorative style, resulting in an enhanced ambience and setting of the scene. The surrounding elements strengthen the depiction of the queen, conveying both royal sophistication and serene elegance. The intricate line work harmonising with the soft colour palette characterise Tagore’s approach of revivng cultural artistic influences and revolting against the European academic painting styles prevalent during the British Raj.
The key insight from this artwork is that it isn’t just an ordinary portrait of a queen. It highlights Tissarakshita, the wife of Emperor Ashoka, in relation to the Bodhi Tree, a sacred symbol in the religion of Buddhisim. According to the tale, she grew envious of the reverence shown by Ashoka to the tree and attempted to destroy it. Tissarakshita is captured in a moment of her emotional complexity, instead of simply being portrayed as villainous.
There exists a contrast between the authorative power of the queen and the spiritual identity and significance of the Bodhi tree, creating the core tension of the artwork. Abanindranath Tagore captures the queen’s mixed feelings of both her triumph of her ego satisfaction and the regret as she stares at the wilting Bodhi tree. The Queen’s suspicion that her husband was sending precious jewels to another woman clouded her judgment and led her to take the grave step of poisoning the sacred tree.
“Tissarakshita, Queen of Ashoka” supported in establishing Abanindranath Tagore as a leading figure in the early history of Indian modern art. By combining Indian historical themes with refined Asian techniques, this artwork influenced the subsequent generations of artists at Santiniketan and the Indian modernist movement. The painting is am emblem of India’s cultural reawakening in the early 20th-century.
The original artwork was gifted to Queen Mary in 1912 by Lady Hardinge in Calcutta during her visit to India. The painting is currently a collection in the Royal Collection on Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England, UK.
Signed - A Tagore – completed on the 29th December 1911.
Tissarakshita, Queen of Asoka is a watercolour painting by Indian artist Abanindranath Tagore, created in 1911. The main subject of this artwork is Queen Tissarakshita of Asoka, who becomes jealous of a Bodhi tree as her husband King Ashoka treats it with much devotion and fondness. In a fit of rage, Queen Tissarakshita destroys the sacred tree by poisoning it. This painting depicts the aftermath of the destruction, with the queen looking at the wilted tree donning an expression that mixes triumph and regret.
This painting stems from Tagore’s interest in pre-colonial art that rejects Western artistic ideals. He took inspiration from Rajput and Mughal painting instead, along with contemporary Chinese and Japanese painting, which are reflected in his art style.
