Megha Mallar Raga, Folio from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies)

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Megha Mallar Raga, Folio from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies)

India, Rajasthan, Kota, circa 1740
Drawings; watercolors
Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper
Sheet: 10 5/8 x 7 5/8 in. (26.99 x 19.37 cm); Image: 7 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (19.05 x 13.97 cm)
From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.71.1.24)
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

Megha Mallar Raga is the fifth raga in the predominant ragamala (garland of melodies) classification system generally known as the Rajasthani system....
Megha Mallar Raga is the fifth raga in the predominant ragamala (garland of melodies) classification system generally known as the Rajasthani system. The inscription in the header alternately identifies Megha Mallar as a ragini rather than a raga, but the visual iconography of a prince or Krishna dancing in the rain is constant. It is a joyful melody associated with the nighttime and the monsoon rains in July–August. In this painting, a bejeweled prince in a yellow coat (jama) holding a vina dances joyously in the forest. He is accompanied by two dancing female musicians, one playing a pair of hand cymbals and the other a mridangam drum. The sky is full of thunder clouds with a serpentine lightning bolt, cascading rain, and three storks. In the foreground, two waterfowl in a lotus pond enjoy the performance. See its series mate M.81.8.10 and also M.86.345.1. Additional folios from this dispersed series are in many museums and private collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (23589 and 23590).
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Bibliography

  • Dohanian, D.K.  The Art of India.  Rochester, NY:  Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, University Publications, 1961.
  • Rosenfield, John.  The Arts of India and Nepal: The Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection.  Boston:  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1966.