1972.358: Bhairavi Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series

Identification and Creation

Object Number

1972.358

Title

Bhairavi Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series

Classification

Paintings

Work Type

painting

Date

c. 1700

Places

Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Bikaner

Culture

Indian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/216271

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper.

Dimensions

15.24 x 11.75 cm (6 x 4 5/8 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of John Kenneth Galbraith

Accession Year

1972

Object Number

1972.358

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

Bhairavi Ragini is commonly represented by a young heroine (nayika) worshipping at a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Here, in this painting, the female figure kneels in front of a lingam, the aniconic form of Shiva, while chanting hymns in honor of the god and playing symbols. A female musician stands outside the shrine playing the mridagam, a type of drum. A white bull in the left corner represents Nandi, Shiva’s mount. This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase that is used as the basis for improvisation. Rajput Style, Bikaner School

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 69/figure 17
• Kim Masteller, "Pious Love: Iconography of the Nayika as a Devotee", ed. Harsha V. Dehejia, Roli Books (India, 2004), p 179 - 180

Exhibition History

• Viewing Architecture: Paintings and Photographs of Indian Architecture, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 07/14/1984 - 09/17/1984
• Ambassador's Choice: The Galbraith Collection of Indian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 02/15/1986 - 04/06/1986
• 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
• Women in South Asian Art, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/26/2017 - 01/07/2018

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