TWO ILLUSTRATIONS TO A RAGAMALA SERIES: THE SARANG AND BHAIRAVI RAGINI
Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, India, late 18th - 19th century

Opaque pigments heightened with gold and silver on paper, the two vertical compositions possibly illustrating the same Ragamala series, including the depiction of a Sarang Ragini, part of the Malkos Raga, and a Bhairavi Ragini, part of the Bhairava Raga, the first painting depicting two lovers in a tight embrace standing in front of a bed facing a lotus pond, a female assistant rolling the curtain of the main door to let the fresh morning air into the building, a group of peacocks on the roof of the palace perpendicular to the two lovers, the second painting depicting a courtly woman performing a puja to a Shiva lingam shrine, followed by two female musicians with veenas, next to the shrine a chained tiger, a female attendant following the procession from afar, both compositions set within black rules and bright red borders, the rectos with numerals and a long Devanagari inscription in black ink, each approximately 33cm x 25cm.