Desvarati Ragini: Page from the Dispersed "Berlin" Ragamala Series (Garland of Musical Modes)

1605-06-07T00:00:00Z

Ragamala texts describe this scene as showing “a lady whose gesture is one of languor and silence, whose eyes are restless from lack of sleep, who is exhausted by the effort of love-making.” Here, the artist shows a woman sitting with upraised arms and twisting to look back at an empty bed in an attempt to translate the mood of the text and the related musical passage into a pictorial representation. The flattened space and fields of color reflect Rajput painting styles, while the figural type, atmospheric treatment of the sky, and patterned courtyard floor indicate the artist was familiar with the Mughal workshops. A painting from the same manuscript bears a date of Samvat 1662 (A.D. 1605–6).