Accession Number
1975/2.154

Title
Ragamala series: Ragini Bilavala

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

Object Creation Date
circa 1750

Medium & Support
ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Dimensions
11 in x 7 7/8 in (27.94 cm x 20 cm);11 in x 7 7/8 in (27.95 cm x 20 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.

Vilaval is a morning melody, here shown as a woman preparing to meet her lover. She engages in self-adornment and beautification (shringar), with her attendants standing close by to help. One of them holds a mirror, in which is registered the woman's beautiful face. The roosters also symbolize the time of the day--early morning.

Physical Description
A lady appears to be getting ready (shringar). One of her attendant holds a mirror close to the lady's face, and the other holds a fly whisk. Two parrots are shown in the sky depiced above the palace. Cocks are shown on the staircase below where the lady and her attendants sit.

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
Birds
Figures
Vessels
buildings
interiors
mirror
roosters
seated
standing