1931.16: Todi Ragini (painting, recto), from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series

Identification and Creation

Object Number

1931.16

Title

Todi Ragini (painting, recto), from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series

Other Titles

Series/Book Title: Ragamala

Classification

Manuscripts

Work Type

manuscript folio

Date

c. 1680

Places

Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Mewar

Culture

Indian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/216685

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Dimensions

37.8 x 28.2 cm (14 7/8 x 11 1/8 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, William M. Prichard Fund

Accession Year

1931

Object Number

1931.16

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

The Todi Ragini, sung as an evocation of both tenderness and sadness, is visually represented by a young heroine (nayika) in a forest separated from her lover. In this painting, she carries a veena, most likely a ‘Rudra veena,’ which is a stringed instrument consisting of two large equal-sized tumba (resonators) below a stick zither. This instrument is played by laying it slanting with one gourd on a knee and the other above the shoulder. Her melodious tunes have attracted a bevy of deer, including blackbuck deer, which are a typical feature in representations of the Todi Ragini. In the distance is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, who is depicted seated on a tiger skin with a trident and serpent in his hands. From his matted hair emerges the river Ganges, signifying that the form of Shiva depicted here is the Gangadhara Shiva. A female devotee worships at the temple. The lush greenery and trees suggest the setting to be that of a forest.

This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase that is used as the basis for improvisation, possibly belonging to a Ragamala or “Garland of melodies” which was produced at the Mewar court in the late seventeenth century. Another painting from the same series is 1931.16, 1931.17, 1931.18, 1931.19 and 1932.32. Rajput, Rajasthani, Mewar School.

Publication History

• Elisabeth Barro, "Zangar: A Study of Green Pigments Used at the Mughal and Rajput Courts" (Bachelor's thesis, Harvard University, 1997), Unpublished, pp. 1-82 passim

Exhibition History

• The Music Room, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/22/1984 - 11/11/1984

Verification Level