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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1973.156
People
Unknown Artist
Title
Nata Ragini, Illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
c. 1640-1660
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Malwa
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216263

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; Malwa Style
Dimensions
sight: 21.8 x 15.3 cm (8 9/16 x 6 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of John Kenneth Galbraith
Accession Year
1973
Object Number
1973.156
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Nata Ragini is commonly represented by a furious battle in which a solider on horseback severs the head of a solider on foot and is about to confront another. Here, the soldier, mounted on a white horse, holds his sword in the air with his right hand, and a large black shield in his left. He approaches a solider on foot who is about to fire an arrow at him. On the ground below the horse is a wounded soldier who holds up his sword. This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase that is used as the basis for improvisation. Malwa Style.

Publication History

  • Stuart Cary Welch and Milo Cleveland Beach, Gods, Thrones, and Peacocks Northern Indian Painting from Two Traditions, exh. cat., Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (New York, NY, 1965), page 67/figure 16c

Exhibition History

  • India: From Tribe to Court, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 07/23/1981 - 07/23/1981
  • The Music Room, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/22/1984 - 11/11/1984
  • Ambassador's Choice: The Galbraith Collection of Indian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 02/15/1986 - 04/06/1986
  • Gods, Thrones, and Peacocks - Revisited: Northern Indian Miniatures from two Traditions, Fifteenth to Nineteenth Centuries, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 03/31/1990 - 06/10/1990
  • Rasika, the Discerning Connoisseur: Indian Paintings from the John Kenneth Galbraith Collection, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/31/1998 - 04/05/1998

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