Manaku of Guler or Manaku (c. 1700–1760) was an Indian painter from the Guler State, in modern-day Himachal Pradesh.[1] After his death he was mostly forgotten and overshadowed by his much-celebrated younger brother Nainsukh.[2] But today he is recognised as an exponent of Pahari style of painting, much like his brother.[3] The rediscovery of Manaku has been a result of research efforts by art historians like B. N. Goswamy.[4][5] Like Nainsukh, Manaku almost never signed his works, and only four extant works carry his signature.[6]

Manaku
Self-Portrait
Born	Manaku 1700
Died	1760
Nationality	Indian
Known for	Painting
Movement	Pahari painting
Family	Nainsukh (brother)

Gallery

• 
  Hiranyagarbha (Golden Cosmic Egg), c. 1740, Opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi
• 
  Vishnu as Varaha challenges the demon Hiranyaksha from Bhagavata Purana series, c. 1740, Opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh
• 
  Poet Jayadeva worshipping Radha and Krishna based on Jayadeva's Gita Govinda, c. 1730, Watercolour on paper, National Museum, New Delhi
• 
  Ravana shows Sita the counterfeit head of Rama, c. 1725, Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Bibliography

• Goswamy, B. N.; Fischer, Eberhard (1997). Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195640144.[7]
• Goswamy, B. N. (2014). The Spirit of Indian Painting: Close Encounters with 100 Great Works 1100-1900. Penguin UK. ISBN 9789351188629.
• Goswamy, B. N. (2017). Manaku of Guler: The Life and Work of Another Great Indian Painter from a Small Hill State. New Delhi: Niyogi Books. ISBN 978-9385285820.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manaku.

External links

• Metropolitan Museum of Art - Manaku collection