Artwork
A Woman Plucks Leaves While Awaiting Her Lover: Gunakali Ragini of Malkos, from the “Chawand Ragamala”
A Woman Plucks Leaves While Awaiting Her Lover: Gunakali Ragini of Malkos, from the “Chawand Ragamala” is an unspecified painting by the Mughal Painting artist Nasiruddin. It dates from 1605 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1605 by the Rajasthani artist Nasiruddin, this miniature forms part of the Chawand Ragamala series. Executed in the Mughal painting style while the court was based in the village of Chawand, the work illustrates a lyrical episode from the Gunakali Ragini, a musical mode within the ragamala tradition.
Subject & Meaning
The scene portrays a woman in a bright yellow garment reaching for a leafy branch held by a man in a blue‑green skirt, both positioned beneath a red canopy. The gesture of plucking leaves conveys the theme of patient longing, as the woman awaits the return of her lover, a motif common to the poetic narratives that accompany ragamala illustrations.
Technique & Style
The red canopy, pink palace backdrop, and vivid flora are outlined with fine lines, while the decorative script above adds a calligraphic flourish.
Rendered in the delicate brushwork characteristic of Mughal miniatures, the painting balances intricate detail with a restrained palette. The red canopy, pink palace backdrop, and vivid flora are outlined with fine lines, while the decorative script above adds a calligraphic flourish. Small birds, peacocks, and geese animate the composition, providing subtle movement within an otherwise tranquil setting.
History & Provenance
The work likely emerged under the patronage of the Mewar rulers Rana Pratap Singh or his son Amar Singh during their period of exile, when the court was temporarily relocated to Chawand. It remained in private collections before entering the holdings of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is displayed alongside other ragamala miniatures.
Context
Ragamala paintings translate musical modes into visual allegories, linking sound, poetry, and image. The Gunakali Ragini, associated with a particular melodic structure, is here visualized through the motif of a lover’s patient waiting, reflecting the broader cultural practice of intertwining music and courtly romance in early‑17th‑century Rajasthan.
Artist & collection
Artist
Nisardin (fl. 1585–1609, also known as Nasiruddin) was an artist who is credited to have painted the earliest dated set of Rajasthani miniature paintings, called Chawand Ragamala. It is uncertain if he belonged to the…
