Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
Unable to open [object Object]: HTTP 0 attempting to load TileSource: https://ids.lib.harvard.edu/ids/iiif/18481856/info.json
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
This object does not yet have a description.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1991.633
Title
Bhairavi Ragini, Illustration from a Ragamala (Garden of Melodies) Series
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
c. 1700
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Amber
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/215999

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2590, South Asian Art, South Asia in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
Dimensions
31.9 x 24.9 cm (12 9/16 x 9 13/16 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. Gordon Douglas III, Class of 1957
Accession Year
1991
Object Number
1991.633
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 picture plane is divided into four sections. The top consists of a band of gold flowering plants against a yellow ground. The next features a lush landscape with different types of trees and birds. The center plane depicts a female devotee worshipping at a multi-domed shrine dedicated to Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction. Here, he is represented in the form of a white lingam, which rests inside a white yoni base. She sits on deer skin, a reference to Shiva, and holds cymbals in her hand to keep time while she is chanting hymns. On the other side of the shrine are two other female devotees who carry offerings. The final plane has a pond filled with lotuses, which is flanked by two Shaivite ascetics. The one on the left is a bare-chested figure with a bull, which probably references Nandi, Shiva’s bull and vehicle (vahana). On the right is an ascetic (sadhu) siting in full lotus pose (padmasana) on tiger skin, a reference to Shiva. His right arm rests on a short crutch (fakir’s crutch), while he prays with his rosary. Rajput, Rajasthani.

Publication History

  • Kim Masteller, "Pious Love: Iconography of the Nayika as a Devotee", ed. Harsha V. Dehejia, Roli Books (India, 2004), p 176 - 179

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2590 South and Southeast Asia, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/28/2024 - 04/28/2025

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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