Accession Number
1981/2.50

Title
Kamodani Ragini

Artist(s)
Artist Unknown, India, Rajasthan, Jaipur School

Object Creation Date
circa 1800

Medium & Support
ink and color on paper

Dimensions
13 1/8 in x 9 3/4 in (33.4 cm x 24.8 cm);13 1/8 in x 9 3/4 in (33.4 cm x 24.8 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Leo S. Figiel and Dr. and Mrs. Steven J. Figiel

Subject matter
Ragamala paintings draw from aspects of human experience in order to visualize specific moods, emotions, and qualities such as love, anguish, valor, weakness, and strength. A raga in Indian music is a melody consisting of a string of notes in a particular arrangement. Raginis are derivations from or variations of ragas in feminine mode (the basis of these classifications remains unexplained in many cases), and could have different or similar musical structures as ragas. Specific ragas are associated with specific times of the day, seasons, and emotions. When visualized, as here, ragas and raginis are meant to evoke the same affective responses that are allied to their musical modes. The text above the illustration refers to stories or incidents associated with the depicted raga/ ragini, but may not necessarily be narrative-like or descriptive. Drawn from literary tropes and tales that sophisticated writers and viewers would be aware of, the inscriptions are an integral part of the overall experience of this miniature painting. An illiterate viewer, however, could still enjoy the scene without reading the text.

Separated from her lover, the woman depicted here is sorrowful and meditates about him. Forest animals keep her quaint company in her loneliness. The garlands are perhaps meant for her lover, or could signify bounty and beauty, attributes that also apply to the woman herself. They are a standard feature of paintings depicting this ragini.

Physical Description
A woman in an open field/ forest, holding two garlands (?), one in each hand. Two small animals sit next to her, and she gazes towards one of them, lost in contemplation or thought. A stream flows in the bottom portion of the picture, and there are lotuses floating on the water. It is nighttime. A short verse is painted above the depicted scene.

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
lady
rabbits