Artwork
Shri Raga: An Illustration from a Ragamala Series
Shri Raga: An Illustration from a Ragamala Series is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1740 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The work titled *Shri Raga: An Illustration from a Ragamala Series* is a painted composition that depicts an interior scene populated by several figures and a prominent plant. The setting includes a blue‑hued wall, a white floor, and a richly patterned couch. The palette is vivid, featuring purples, greens, yellows, reds and whites, and the scene is rendered with considerable detail.
Subject & Meaning
The central figures are a crowned man with a purple face seated beside a woman on the couch, accompanied by a standing woman in a yellow dress. A bearded flutist and a goat‑headed figure add a mythic dimension, suggesting allegorical or musical themes common to ragamala iconography, where each painting visualises a particular raga or mood.
Technique & Style
Executed in a flat, decorative manner, the painting employs strong outlines and bold color blocks typical of Indian miniature traditions. The patterned upholstery and the stylised plant are rendered with fine brushwork, while the figures are outlined in black, emphasizing their gestures and costumes.
History & Provenance
The piece belongs to a ragamala series, a genre that flourished in the medieval and early modern periods of Indian art to illustrate musical modes. While specific provenance details are not provided, such illustrations were traditionally produced for courtly or devotional contexts and later entered museum collections as examples of visual music.
Artist & collection
