AN ILLUSTRATION FROM A RAGAMALA SERIES DESAKH RAGINI BUNDI, LATE 18TH CENTURY

AN ILLUSTRATION FROM A RAGAMALA SERIES: DESAKH RAGINI
BUNDI, LATE 18TH CENTURYOpaque watercolor and gold on paper.Image: 10 1/2 x 6 1/4 in. (26.6 x 16 cm.);Folio: 11 5/8 x 6 7/8 in. (29.5 x 17.6 cm.)

ProvenanceProperty of a diplomat, acquired in India during the 1950s, by repute.Indian ragamala paintings (lit. 'garland of musical modes') do not depict literal subjects. Rather, they draw from aspects of human experience to convey specific moods, emotions, and qualities that are aroused by musical modes. Here, five burly gymnasts training outdoors in the crisp, early morning air serve to conjure up the vigor and heroism that Desakh Ragini inspires in its listener. A related, earlier example composed within a similar landscape setting is held in the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven (1940.24).