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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1973.147
Title
Todi Ragini, Illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
c. 1790
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Uniara
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216289

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; Rajput Style, Uniara School
Dimensions
27.31 x 19.69 cm (10 3/4 x 7 3/4 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of John Kenneth Galbraith
Accession Year
1973
Object Number
1973.147
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Todi Ragini evokes both tenderness and sadness, and is commonly represented by a young heroine (nayika) in a forest separated from her lover. In this painting, she is shown carrying a vina, a multi-stringed instrument distinct to the Indian subcontinent. Her music has attracted black buck deer, which are also a typical feature in Todi Ragini paintings. Along the lotus-filled river are large cranes. The lush trees seem to rhythmically sway, alluding to the musical nature of the work. This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase that is used as the basis for improvisation. Rajput Style, Uniara 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 94/figure 58

Exhibition History

  • 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

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