Kakubha Ragini thumbnail 1
Kakubha Ragini thumbnail 2
Not on display

Kakubha Ragini

Painting
second half of 17th century or early 18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Painting, in opaque watercolour on paper, a woman stands beneath a tree in a rolling landscape with a peahen and peacock on either side of her with clumps of flowering plants in the foreground. In the middle distance water flows under a white bridge which stands out against a dark evening sky. She is dressed in Hindu costume and has yellow horizontal representations of cast marks across her forehead. She is shown standing with her head turned in a three-quarter pose to the right with her mouth slightly open, possibly indicating that she is singing.. She wears pearls in her ear and an emerald drop with four rows of pearls round her neck and a pendant of red and green gems and a pearl drop. Her upper arms have jewelled bazubands (arm bands) and her wrists are ornamented with gold bangles and pearl bracelets. She is dressed in an orange ghaghra (skirt) and a tight-fitting choli (bodice) with a bare midriff ornamented with body jewellery of crossed paired strings of pearls set with a red stone in the middle. She has finger and toe rings on her bare feet. She grasps the edge of her transparent gold-dotted odhani (veil) which is draped across her loose hair and attached to the waistband of a golden overskirt which leaves visible a central panel of the orange skirt beneath.
The painting is framed in a pale brown border with stylised foliage and lotus buds in a meandering design which is outlined on both sides in black and white with additional red and blue lines at the outer edge. The outer border of the page is decorated with pink lilies and red poppies with gold outlines. The lilies are depicted with a centrally drooping petal. The outer margin has a deep blue edge made of collaged paper strips with white outlines. A grey strip of paper has been added over the right hand edge to act as a gutter for the present album binding. The blue page margin below has been abraded and reveals a short section of green paint beneath it at the lower right hand edge.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleKakubha Ragini (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour on paper
Brief description
Painting, Small Clive Album p. 34, a lady with peacocks at night, kakubha ragini, opaque watercolour on paper, Mughal, 18th century
Physical description
Painting, in opaque watercolour on paper, a woman stands beneath a tree in a rolling landscape with a peahen and peacock on either side of her with clumps of flowering plants in the foreground. In the middle distance water flows under a white bridge which stands out against a dark evening sky. She is dressed in Hindu costume and has yellow horizontal representations of cast marks across her forehead. She is shown standing with her head turned in a three-quarter pose to the right with her mouth slightly open, possibly indicating that she is singing.. She wears pearls in her ear and an emerald drop with four rows of pearls round her neck and a pendant of red and green gems and a pearl drop. Her upper arms have jewelled bazubands (arm bands) and her wrists are ornamented with gold bangles and pearl bracelets. She is dressed in an orange ghaghra (skirt) and a tight-fitting choli (bodice) with a bare midriff ornamented with body jewellery of crossed paired strings of pearls set with a red stone in the middle. She has finger and toe rings on her bare feet. She grasps the edge of her transparent gold-dotted odhani (veil) which is draped across her loose hair and attached to the waistband of a golden overskirt which leaves visible a central panel of the orange skirt beneath.
The painting is framed in a pale brown border with stylised foliage and lotus buds in a meandering design which is outlined on both sides in black and white with additional red and blue lines at the outer edge. The outer border of the page is decorated with pink lilies and red poppies with gold outlines. The lilies are depicted with a centrally drooping petal. The outer margin has a deep blue edge made of collaged paper strips with white outlines. A grey strip of paper has been added over the right hand edge to act as a gutter for the present album binding. The blue page margin below has been abraded and reveals a short section of green paint beneath it at the lower right hand edge.
Dimensions
  • Central painting height: 13cm
  • Central painting width: 7.9cm
  • Page height: 35cm
  • Page width: 23cm
Style
Credit line
Gift of Mr. John Goelet
Object history
This miniature painting is part of the Small Clive Album of Indian miniatures which is thought to have been given by Shuja ud-Daula, the Nawab of Avadh, to Lord Clive during his last visit to India in 1765-67. It contains 56 leaves on which are Mughal miniature paintings, drawing and flower studies on both sides. The binding is covered with an Indian brocade which may have been cut from lengths of silk brought back from India by the 2nd Lord Clive who served as Governor in Madras, 1799 to 1803. The album was sold from Powis Castle at Sotheby's sale 16 to18 January 1956, lot 332A
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic reference
Kumar, Ritu, Costumes and Textiles of Royal India, Christie's Books Ltd, London, 1999, illus., p.236.
Collection
Accession number
IS.48:17/B-1956

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Record createdNovember 27, 2003
Record URL
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