MUGHAL STYLE IN RAJASTHAN, INDIA, CIRCA 1700

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MADHUMADHAVI RAGA
MUGHAL STYLE IN RAJASTHAN, INDIA, CIRCA 1700
An illustration from a Ragamala series, opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, set within indigo margins with gold illumination and gold rules, laid down on illuminated paper, verso plain with inventory mark
Painting 9 x 6 ¼in. (23 x 15.8cm.); folio 9 7⁄8 x 7 ¼in. (25 x 18.4cm.)

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Lot Essay

The Madhumadhavi Ragini concerns a young heroine (nayika) braving harsh conditions to meet her lover. It is commonly represented by a woman about to enter a palace in which her lover awaits. The sky is dark and filled with storm clouds, lightning, or rain. Here, the female figure walks into the palace and glances up at the thundery sky. This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase that is used as the basis for improvisation. Another example of this scene is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, acc. no. IS.227-1955.

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