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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1974.131
Title
Vilaval Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
c. 1640
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Mewar
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216022

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor on paper; Rajput Style, Mewar School
Dimensions
sight: 26.04 x 20.64 cm (10 1/4 x 8 1/8 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bienstock
Accession Year
1974
Object Number
1974.131
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
In the poetry accompanying the Vilaval Ragini, it 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 sits on a daybed putting on her earrings while a female attendant holds up a mirror for her. Two other female attendants are present, one holds up a fly whisk behind the heroine and the other peers at the scene from behind a door. This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase that is used as the basis for improvisation. Rajput Style, 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"Zangar: A Study of Green Pigments Used at the Mughal and Rajput Courts" (Bachelor's thesis, Harvard University, 1997), Unpublished, pp. 1-82 passim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

  • Eyes to the East: Indian, Persian, and Turkish Art Given by Harvard Graduates, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/22/1990 - 11/25/1990

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