Page from a Ragamala Series: Kanara Ragini (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
Ragamalas, sets of paintings personifying the moods evoked by musical structures called ragas, were produced in large numbers in Central and Western India. Courtly patrons could leaf through these collections, which showed figures in stereotyped romantic or devotional settings, while listening to the emotionally charged performances of their corresponding ragas. This page depicts Kanara Ragini, meant to capture the moods inspired by heroism and beauty. Unconventionally, the hero is shown as a woman dressed like a man, bearing a flower and a spear. Typical of Central Indian paintings, the scene is reduced to a few pictorial devices within a minimal, flat, intensely colored setting. Gesture conveys the story, and the two highly stylized trees that flank the scene—probably Ashoka trees—echo the actions of the attending figures, one of whom swings a flywhisk over the heroine’s head while the other sings of her virtues.
Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Gift of Paul Mellon
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