Sorath Ragini, the lonely lady in the garden, from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) series
Artist
Jai Kishan
(Indian, active 1700s)
Date1756
Object GeographyMalpura, Rajasthan, India
MediumOpaque pigments and gold on paper
DimensionsOverall (Folio): 12 13/16 × 8 3/4 in. (32.6 × 22.3 cm)
Image: 9 1/16 × 6 9/16 in. (23 × 16.7 cm)
Image: 9 1/16 × 6 9/16 in. (23 × 16.7 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineMuseum purchase through the David J. Patten Asian Art Fund, 2019
Object numberSN11670
Wandering in a garden, a woman encounters a peacock fanning its tail and is reminded of her absent lover. This artwork belongs to a ragamala, or “garland of ragas,” a series of paintings that visualised melodies called ragas. Each raga represents moods associated with devotional or romantic love — in this case loneliness and longing. Sets of ragamalas were enjoyed in Indian court circles between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Other folios from this ragamala set are in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum (one folio), the Fogg Museum (four folios), and San Diego Museum (three folios).
On View
Not on view
late 19th century
8th century
late 3rd century BCE–early 3rd century CE
8th century
late 19th cen.
late 19th century
