Painting, Asavari Ragini, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Lucknow, ca. 1760

Painting, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Asavari Ragini, lady charming snakes with a pipe; she wears a skirt of large leaves and ornaments of gold, and is seated upon a rocky mound, amidst trees and a stream.

Asavari Ragini, lady charming snakes with a pipe; she wears a skirt of large leaves and ornaments of gold, and is seated upon a rocky mound, amidst trees and a stream.

Given by Sir Robert Nathan, K.C.S.I., C.I.E

From the collection of Sir Robert Nathan (1868-1921), purchased from Maulvi Muhammad Hussain, Judge, Small Claims Court, Delhi. Sir Robert Nathan was Private Secretary to the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, in 1905; became Chief Secretary to the Government of East Bengal and Assam in 1907, and was Police Commissioner of Dhaka before leaving India in 1914.

Given by Sir Robert Nathan, K.C.S.I., C.I.E. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.

R.P. 1921-4451

This is an illustration to the musical phrase Asavari Ragini. Played in the early morning, the music is reminiscent of a snake charmer’s melody and evokes a sense of melancholy felt in the separation of a lover from their beloved. Pictorial metaphors for the melody usually depict a dark-skinned tribal woman wearing a skirt of leaves. Here she charms the snakes by playing a pungi or wind instrument.

IM.240-1921