Mahasundari Devi (1922–2013) of Ranti is widely credited with carrying the idiom and visual language of Mithila painting into modern and contemporary Indian art. A master of both the painting and the Sikki grass-craft of the region, she mentored a whole family of artists, including the celebrated Pushpa Kumari.
Recognised late but fully — with the Padma Shri (2011) and Shilp Guru honour in her later years — she was a bridge between the village ritual art of Mithila and the galleries of the wider world.