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An illustration to the musical mode of Patamanjari Ragini

1840

About the Item

Jaipur School, c. 1840 An illustration to the musical mode of Patamanjari Ragini From a Ragamala series Gouache and gold on wasli paper 24.1 x 19.6 cm.; (within frame) 33.7 x 28.5 cm. Provenance: Private Collection, United Kingdom. This attractive illustration belongs to a dispersed Ragamala series, a sequence of visual representations of ragas, melodic frameworks belonging to Hindustani classical music. Designed to induce an emotional response in the listener, each raga possesses distinct structures and musical motifs which relate to colour, natural and biological cycles, and the seasons. The Patamanjari Ragini is a wistful melody sung by a woman separated from her beloved, a possible expression of the allegorical ‘love in separation’ of the human soul divided from God. The ragaini is commonly represented by a lady appeased by a confidante within a pavilion. Here the lady is in fine courtly dress and rests dolefully among cushions. Her female attendant sits opposite and holds a parrot on an outstretched forearm. Both are shaded under the embroidered canopy of a pavilion decorated with repeating floral spray motifs painted in fine gold. The pavilion is encircled by low walls with a vegetated garden beyond. The Ragamala system developed as a specific genre of painting during the 15th century and dominated Indian miniature painting for some four centuries afterwards. The form is etymologically rooted in notions of colour and delight, and synthesises music, poetry and visual arts to evoke the rich joys and trials of love. Ragamala typically comprise of thirty-six or forty-two folio sheets, organised as personified familial figures which surround six central male ragas. Each of the six central ragas represent individual musical modes that correspond with the six seasons of summer, monsoon, autumn, early winter, winter, and spring. These male ragas possess children (ragaputras and ragaputris) and a harem of five wives (ragini), the secondary musical modes, as here with the consort Patamanjari Ragini. After the 16th century ragamala expanded from a divine to an anthropological focus, developing a human interest exemplified by the the ornate courtly costume and surroundings of the present work. The present illustration is a good example of the Jaipur School, historically part of the Dhundhar region. Jaipur inherited the artistic legacy of Amber, and profited from a migration of artistic talent when in 1728 the city was made the new capital of Rajasthan. Miniature painting in Jaipur began under the patronage of the city’s founder, Sawai Jai Singh, and miniature paintings were often commissioned by members of royalty. The fine line quality of the present work is characteristic of this standard (achieved using fine squirrel hair brushes), as is the delicate gold painting which likely consists of gold dust combined with gum arabic and honey. The work is mounted to an album page within a decorative border of consecutively painted margins, with a Devanagari inscription above describing the raga depicted. The work was acquired in India by the aristocratic grandfather of the recent private owner, from whom the work was acquired. I am grateful to Martin Snowdon for his assistance in cataloguing this work. Bibliography and further reading: Giles Tillotson and Mrinalini Venkateswaran, eds., Painting and Photography at the Jaipur Court (New Delhi: Niyogi Books, 2016)
  • Creation Year:
    1840
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 13.27 in (33.7 cm)Width: 11.23 in (28.5 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    The work is in fair and stable condition. Historic staining to the upper centre discolours the inscription and sky, with some further markings to the lower left and right. The coloured mount is slightly abraded with some losses to the outer edge.
  • Gallery Location:
    Maidenhead, GB
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: Jaipur School1stDibs: LU2820215584552

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