Oleographs, introduced in India in the late nineteenth century, transformed the way sacred imagery was seen, owned, and experienced. Oleographs by Raja Ravi Varma are prints of his iconic paintings, created using a lithographic printing process that made art accessible to a wider audience in 19th-century India.

About the Ravi Varma Lithographic Press:

It was with the assistance and encouragement of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III that Raja Ravi Varma set up the Ravi Varma Lithographic Press in Mumbai in 1894. The press was later moved to Malavli near Lonavala then to Karla, Maharastra and finally sold in 1901 to his German technician Mr. Schleizer. However, the press was soon destroyed in a fire and was eventually closed down.