Harvard Art Museums > 1971.139: Vilaval 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"Vilaval Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series , 1971.139,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 22, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/216285. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1971.139 Title Vilaval Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series Classification Paintings Work Type painting Date 18th century Places Creation Place: South Asia, India, Himachal Pradesh, Kangra Culture Indian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/216285 Location Location Level 3, Room 3610, University Teaching Gallery View this object's location on our interactive map Physical Descriptions Medium Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; Pahari style, Kangra school. Dimensions 19.21 x 13.34 cm (7 9/16 x 5 1/4 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of John Kenneth Galbraith Accession Year 1971 Object Number 1971.139 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 poetry that usually accompanies the Vilaval Ragini describes a young heroine (nayika) preparing to meet her lover. She is commonly shown looking into the mirror as she puts on her jewelry. In this painting, she stands on a platform on a terrace admiring herself in a mirror that a female attendant holds up. She holds the mouthpiece of a hookah in her right hand. Four other female attendants surround the heroine; one holds up a fly whisk, one holds the hookah base, one holds a fan, and the final attendant holds a garland of flowers. This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase that is used as the basis for improvisation. Pahari style, Kangra 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 91/figure 52 Exhibition History Out of the Hills: Miniature Painting from Himalayan India, Harvard University Art Museums, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 05/26/1984 - 07/08/1984 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 A Colloquium in the Visual Arts, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/31/2024 - 01/05/2025 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
