The Hindi inscription in the header identifies the melody as Patamanjari Ragini, the [second] wife of Dipak Raga. This familial reference indicates that the artist was following the illustration sequence used in the variant ragamala garland of melodies) classification system known as Meshakarna’s system (developed by Meshakarna, a court priest from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, in his Ragamala of 1570). The imagery here, however, accords with that of the more widespread Rajasthani system, in which Patamanjari Ragini is the fourth wife of Bhairava Raga. Although it is typically an early morning melody associated with Autumn (September–November), the inscription states that it is “to be sung at midnight.” The name is derived from the Sanskrit prathama manjari (first blossom). Patamanjari Ragini is envisioned as a courtly woman distraught by the absence of her lover and sitting dejectedly with her head supported by her hand. She is being consoled by a confidante, whose gesticulations suggest she may be singing. They are seated in a courtyard beside a pavilion with a bedchamber. This preparatory drawing has several touches of color to guide the subsequent colorist. The sketch of the hand gestures above the confidante’s head appears to be a later addition, perhaps intended as a reworking of the confidante’s hands. See also M.86.345.7 and AC1999.127.26.
See its probable set mates, Desavarati Ragini (LACMA, M.79.191.16), Bilavala Ragini, Gaunda Ragini, and Dipaka Raga (Brooklyn Museum 79.260.8, 80.261.3, and 80.261.35 respectively), Lalit Ragini (San Diego Museum of Art, 1990.677), and Bhairava Raga (Victoria and Albert Museum, London (IS.23-1982). A Patamanjari Ragini with an identical composition painted at Chunar, Uttar Pradesh, in 1591 is in the Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi (10518). See also M.86.345.7 and AC1999.127.26.
