Harvard Art Museums > 2014.10: Asavari Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) series Paintings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Asavari Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) series , 2014.10,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 19, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/349939. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2014.10 Title Asavari Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) series Classification Paintings Work Type painting Date 1780-1790 Places Creation Place: South Asia, India, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad Culture Indian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/349939 Physical Descriptions Medium Opaque watercolor, gold, and tin on paper Dimensions 24.3 x 15.2 cm (9 9/16 x 6 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Dr. Konrad Seitz, Munich, (1969-2013), sold; through [Simon Ray LImited], to; the Harvard Art Museums, 2013. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Richard Norton Memorial Fund Accession Year 2014 Object Number 2014.10 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description The Asavari Ragini, is commonly represented by a female heroine (nayika) that charms snakes either through her dance or through her music. In this painting, the female figure sits on an outcropping of lilac-colored rocks, between two silvery bodies of water. She plays a pungi, a type of wind instrument, to charm the snakes. The snakes spiraling down the tree and coiling around the figure’s limbs. Contrary to the stereotypical presentation of Asavari Ragini as a dark-skinned tribal woman garbed in leaves or feathers, she appears in this painting as fair-haired and fashionably dressed, with fingertips colored by henna. Her upswept topknot signals that she should be viewed as a yogini—a woman who follows the Hindu ascetic path. Conventionally, Asavari Ragini is a solitary figure, but here she is accompanied by a semi-clad ascetic, who stands at left. The standing ascetic is attended by a dog and holds a fan and a meditation crutch, all of which symbolize that the devotee is of the ascetic Nath order. This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase that is used as the basis for improvisation). Publication History John Seyller, Mughal and Deccani paintings: Eva and Conrad Seitz Collection of Indian Miniatures, exh. cat., Museum Rietberg Zürich (Zürich, Switzerland, 2010), p.140, cat. 48, ill. p.142 Indian and Islamic Works of Art, auct. cat., Simon Ray Limited (London, 2013), pp. 122-123, cat. 46 Exhibition History Dazzling Visions: Indian Paintings from the Seitz Collection, Museum Rietberg Zürich, 11/30/2010 - 04/10/2011 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
