1960.155: Kafi Ragini (painting, recto), from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series

Identification and Creation

Object Number

1960.155

Title

Kafi Ragini (painting, recto), from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series

Classification

Manuscripts

Work Type

manuscript folio

Date

c. 1675 - 1680

Places

Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Sirohi

Culture

Indian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/215323

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Ink and opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions

sight: 22 x 14.8 cm (8 11/16 x 5 13/16 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, William M. Prichard Fund

Accession Year

1960

Object Number

1960.155

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

The painting visualizes the Kafi Ragini in the royal female seated within a palatial architecture and her two attendants. One of the attendants plucks flowers from a blossoming tree, while the lady enjoys the smell of the fresh flowers inside the palace chambers.

This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase that is used as the basis for improvisation, belonging to a Ragamala or “Garland of Melodies” series. The orange borders and the red and green color fields in the architectural frame of the painting link it to the Ragamala series attributed to the Sirohi court. The composition overall reflects the artists’ knowledge of the late seventeenth-century Malwa court styles. Another folio from the same series is 1995.121. Rajput, Rajasthani, Sirohi School.

Exhibition History

• The Music Room, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/22/1984 - 11/11/1984

Verification Level