A TINTED DRAWING OF THE TODI RAGINI FROM A RAGAMALA SERIES
Pahari Hills, Northern India, mid to late 18th century

Opaque pigments heightened with gold, ink, pencil and whitewash on paper, the horizontal composition depicting the nayika (heroine) of the Todi Ragini Raga in the wilderness, with an attendant flanking her, the nayika attempting to feed deer she lured, the horned male deer cautiously approaching the tuft of grass in her hand, the female deer standing behind, each female character with traditional Indian musical instruments over their shoulders, a veena and a tanpura, in the foreground a lotus pond, mounted, glazed and framed, 22cm x 22cm including the frame.

In the world of Indian Ragamalas, the Todi Ragini is often considered one of the counterparts of the Hindola Raga, the name of a scene that features the male lover or lovers on a swing. Both Todi and Hindola are meant to explore the moods (rasa) of springtime and as such the natural landscape is always lush and in full blossom. Ragamala verses describe Todi as a woman with sharp eyes and a slim "extremely tender body, radiant as the frost". She is said to "push back a deer from the edge of a forest glade", which seems to be the moment depicted in this tinted drawing.