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Not currently on display at the V&A

Gujari Ragini

Painting
ca. 1755 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Painting, in opaque water-colour and gold on paper, a female yogini (ascetic) is seated on a deer-skin under a mango tree by a river. Though she is wearing a saffron lower garment, she is also wearing elaborate ornaments. She has a white garland around her neck. A large white bundle together with a crook can be seen on the ground beside her. The painting portrays the musical mode gujari ragini from a Ragamala series. It is worth noting that iconography of Ragamala subjects is often inconsistent.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleGujari Ragini (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque water-colour and gold on paper
Brief description
Painting, gujari ragini, female ascetic seated by stream, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Murshidabad, ca. 1755
Physical description
Painting, in opaque water-colour and gold on paper, a female yogini (ascetic) is seated on a deer-skin under a mango tree by a river. Though she is wearing a saffron lower garment, she is also wearing elaborate ornaments. She has a white garland around her neck. A large white bundle together with a crook can be seen on the ground beside her. The painting portrays the musical mode gujari ragini from a Ragamala series. It is worth noting that iconography of Ragamala subjects is often inconsistent.
Dimensions
  • Height: 275mm
  • Width: 175mm
  • Image within innermost painted border height: 235mm (maximum)
  • Image within innermost painted border width: 152mm (maximum)
14/08/2013 dimensions measured as part of Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project
Content description
A female yogini (ascetic) is seated on a deer-skin under a mango tree by a river.
Style
Marks and inscriptions
(inscribed in Persian)
Translation
[name of musical mode]
Transliteration
'ragini gujari'
Object history
Purchased from Bernard Quaritch in 1960
Production
The painting is in the style of the Mughal provincial court painting, in particular Murshidabad school. For further information please see Attributions Note for D.1201-1903.
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic references
  • Skelton, Robert, 'Murshidabad Painting', Marg, Vol.X, No.1, December 1956, pp.13-15
  • Arts of Bengal : the heritage of Bangladesh and eastern India : an exhibition organized by the Whitechapel Art Gallery in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum : 9 November-30 December 1979, Whitechapel Art Gallery ..., 12 January-17 February 1980, Manchester City Art Gallery ... . [London]: Whitechapel Art Gallery, [1979] Number: 085488047X (pbk.) : p.45
Collection
Accession number
IS.46-1960

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Record createdNovember 21, 2003
Record URL
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