Dhanyashri Ragini, page from a dispersed Ragamala series
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
In the fifteenth or sixteenth century, a new genre of painting developed that attempted to capture in imagery the moods of famous passages of classical music. The music, known as ragas or raginis, inspired artists to create little scenarios—happy or sad, fierce or quiet, taking place in the daytime or nighttime, the summer or winter—that were illustrated over and over again.
Like many ragini paintings, Dhayashri shows a woman who misses her beloved. Here, the woman (with green skin) paints a picture of her absent lover, hoping that this will magically conjure him up. Her friend sits with her, apparently berating her for wasting her time. Peacocks often appear in images of lonely women because their cry sounds like that of a woman in pain.
Caption
Murad (?). Dhanyashri Ragini, page from a dispersed Ragamala series, ca. 1695. Opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper, sheet: 7 5/16 x 6 in. (18.6 x 15.2 cm) image: 5 7/8 x 4 1/2 in. (15.0 x 11.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Anonymous gift, 81.192.5. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 81.192.5_IMLS_SL2.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Dhanyashri Ragini, page from a dispersed Ragamala series
Date
ca. 1695
Geography
Place made: Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
Medium
Opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper
Classification
Dimensions
sheet: 7 5/16 x 6 in. (18.6 x 15.2 cm) image: 5 7/8 x 4 1/2 in. (15.0 x 11.6 cm)
Inscriptions
Verso, Inventory notation. In Sanskrit, in Devanagari script; Ragini Dhanpashari--20 the work of Murad. In fountain pen ink: Samvat 1771. In pencil: 1714 Library stamp of H. H. Maharaja Bikaner
Credit Line
Anonymous gift
Accession Number
81.192.5
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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