Ragamala painting

anonymous, c. 1680

Under the night sky, a female devotee attends a fire ceremony performed by the four-headed Hindu god Brahma, the god of creation. The female figural form is drawn in profile, with a gently rounded face and elongated eye. Brahma holds the Vedas in one hand while tending to the fire with another. The painting is surrounded by double black borders and a round red margins. On the margins there are verses: above in Braj, below in Sanskrit. A painting from a Ragamala series.

  • Artwork typedrawing, Indian miniature
  • Object numberRP-T-2024-55
  • Dimensionsheight 284 mm x width 220 mm
  • Physical characteristicspenseel

Identification

  • Title(s)

    Ragamala painting

  • Object type

  • Object number

    RP-T-2024-55

  • Description

    Under the night sky, a female devotee attends a fire ceremony performed by the four-headed Hindu god Brahma, the god of creation. The female figural form is drawn in profile, with a gently rounded face and elongated eye. Brahma holds the Vedas in one hand while tending to the fire with another. The painting is surrounded by double black borders and a round red margins. On the margins there are verses: above in Braj, below in Sanskrit. A painting from a Ragamala series.

Creation

  • Creation

    draftsman (artist): anonymous, Bundi

  • Dating

    c. 1680

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    penseel

  • Dimensions

    height 284 mm x width 220 mm

Acquisition and rights

  • Credit line

    Gift of A.L. Dallapicola, London

  • Acquisition

    gift 2024-04-30

  • Copyright

    Public domain

Documentation

    • Maggs Oriental Miniatures and Illumination, Bulletin No. 23, March 1975
    • Dahmen-Dallapiccola, A.L. Indische Miniaturen. Malerei der Rajput-Staaten, Holle Verlag, Baden-Baden, 1976
    • E. Binney 3rd, The Mughal and Deccani Schools with some related Sultanate Material. Portland, Oregon, 1973
    • Dallapiccola, A.L. et Enrico Isacco, Ragamala. Exposition Mars 1977
    • Dallapiccola, A.L. Ragamala-Miniaturen, Weltkunst, Munich, XLVII Jahrgang, N. 6, 15. March 1977
    • Dallapiccola, A.L. Princesses et Courtisanes, Oyez, Paris, 1978

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