Ragini Dhanasri, from a Garland of Musical Modes (Ragamala) manuscript

Artist: Unknown

early 19th century

Asian Art

Not on view

The image of Ragini Dhanasri in this album is of great documentational value since it depicts how a painting would have been made in the Mughal context and the materials and tools involved. Accompanied by an attendant, a woman is shown seated on a carpet outdoors, with access to natural light. Her back rests against a pillow, and a red board supports a sheet of paper on her lap. According to verses that describe Ragini Dhanasri, she paints a portrait of her beloved from memory, using a fine brush to apply pigments from little white bowls placed before her. Nearby is a larger blue-and-white ceramic, perhaps containing water for diluting the pigments.

Medium

Opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions

17 1/2 × 11 3/4 in. (44.45 × 29.85 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Lauder Greenway, B.A. 1925, Ph.D. 1930

Accession Number

1940.17

Geography

Associated place: Awadh, India

Culture

Indian

Period

Mughal dynasty (1526–1857)

Classification

Paintings

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Said to have been given by the Maharaja of Kishangarh to a British army officer for services in 1857; Imre Schwaiger (1868–1940), New Delhi, India; sold in India to Lauder Greenway (1904–1981), New York, 1938; given to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 1940
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

Inscriptions

Recto: راکنی دناسری
Verso: راکنی دناسری

Technical metadata and APIs

IIIF

Open in Mirador

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Linked Art

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