Page from a Ragamala Series: Devagandhara Ragini (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
This large Ragamala painting illustrates the poem written at the top of the page expressing the anguished mood of the Devagandhara Ragini. A woman, separated from her beloved, has become an ascetic. Seated before a solid green ground in a pink-domed pavilion, she meditates, counting ritual chants (mantras) with prayer beads. Her body, clad in yellow-ochre garments, is blue-gray: in the tradition of Indian ascetics, she has smeared it with ashes. Four female musicians, singing a song of love, flank her on the terrace of a palace. The lower story of the structure is formed by an arcade filled with flowers and a pair of birds. Beyond the walls of the building can be seen a lush forest and blue sky filled with peacocks, parrots, and undulating clouds
Ink inscription at upper edge.
Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Gift of Paul Mellon
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