The first Indian women artist to have a studio of her own in the 19th century was Mangala Bayi Thampuratti. She was taught to paint by her uncle Raja Raja Varma while her older brother Raja Ravi Varma often assisted in improving her skills. Known as Mangala Bayi, she depicted domestic and devotional themes in her paintings and is well-known for her portraits of women and children. Though Mangala Bayi painted with equal proficiency as her brothers and in the same Western academic artistic style, the social structures of the era prevented women to pursue art as a profession, and so she painted only as a "hobby." Therefore, her works remain mostly in the homes of private collectors. This "Untitled Portrait" portrays a serene yet dignified mature South Asian woman adorned with traditional markings and jewelry, seated in contemplation. It's a wonderful example of Mangala Bayi’s refined artistic sensibilities from the early 1900s. It is frequently misattributed as a painting of Kalyanikutty Ammachi of Nagercoil Ammaveedu, consort of Maharajah Ayilyam Tirunal of Travancore; however, it depicts Ikku Amma Tampuran (Subhadra Tampuran), a distinguished scholar and prolific composer in Sanskrit and Malayalam. Tampuran was the daughter of Kunjipilla Amma Tampuran and Kunju Namboothiripad of Koodalattupuram Illam. While the precise circumstances surrounding the commission remain unclear, this portrait—along with another of Ikku Amma’s daughter, Manku Tampuran, painted by K.R. Ravi Varma (Mangala Bayi’s son)—suggests a close relationship between the Kilimanur and Cochin royal families. An old group photograph from Ravi Varma’s studio highlights this connection and features Ikku Amma Tampuran seated in this exact pose at the center, with her daughters on either side (Manku Tampuran seated to her left) and her two sons standing behind her plus a young Kerala Varma VII, popularly known as Aikya Keralam Tampuran, the Maharaja of Cochin.

Untitled Portrait by Mangala Bayi Thampuratti (Indian) - Oil on canvas / Early 1900s - Kerala Museum (Kochi, India) #WomenInArt #WomensArt #WomanArtist #PortraitofaWoman #WomenArtists #art #artText #PortraitofaWoman #HerStory #WomenPaintingWomen #MangalaBayiThampuratti #MangalaBayi #KeralaMuseum