Harvard Art Museums > 1973.174: Asavari Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series Paintings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Asavari Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series , 1973.174,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 22, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/215365. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1973.174 Title Asavari Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series Classification Paintings Work Type painting Date c. 1640-1660 Places Creation Place: South Asia, India, Central India, Malwa Culture Indian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/215365 Physical Descriptions Medium Opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Dimensions 22.23 x 15.24 cm (8 3/4 x 6 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of John Kenneth Galbraith Accession Year 1973 Object Number 1973.174 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description The Asavari Ragini, is commonly represented by a female heroine (nayika) that charms snakes either through her dance or through her music. In this painting, the female figure sits cross-legged under a tree and plays a flute. Several cobras slither towards her. The trees bear peacocks and leaping monkeys. In the foreground, two tigers peer from the thick bush. This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase that is used as the basis for improvisation. Malwa Style. Publication History Stuart Cary Welch and Milo Cleveland Beach, Gods, Thrones, and Peacocks Northern Indian Painting from Two Traditions, exh. cat., Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (New York, NY, 1965), page 66/figure 16a Kim Masteller, "Pious Love: Iconography of the Nayika as a Devotee", ed. Harsha V. Dehejia, Roli Books (India, 2004), p. 183 - 184 Exhibition History The Music Room, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/22/1984 - 11/11/1984 Gods, Thrones, and Peacocks - Revisited: Northern Indian Miniatures from two Traditions, Fifteenth to Nineteenth Centuries, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 03/31/1990 - 06/10/1990 From India's Hills and Plains: Rajput Painting from the Punjab and Rajasthan, 17th through 19th Centuries, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/04/1993 - 10/31/1993 Rasika, the Discerning Connoisseur: Indian Paintings from the John Kenneth Galbraith Collection, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/31/1998 - 04/05/1998 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
