- Title
- Dhanashri Ragini, First Wife of Dipak Raga, Folio from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies)
- Date Made
- circa 1700
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 11 x 8 in. (27.94 x 20.32 cm); Image: 9 1/2 x 6 3/8 in. (24.13 x 16.19 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.79.191.27
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
On the reverse is a Sanskrit inscription describing the melody (written twice), the title written in red, and the set number thirty. The verse reads:
With a complexion like the tender shoots of grass (durba), the charming lady sheds drops of tears as, drawing board in hand, she draws her lover.
Dhanashri Ragini is the first wife of Dipak Raga in the predominant ragamala (garland of melodies) classification system generally known as the Rajasthani system. The devanagari inscription in the header identifies the melody by the variant spelling of “Dhanasari Ragani.” It is a pining melody associated with the afternoon and Autumn (September–November). The melody is personified as a heroine painting her absent lover’s portrait.
Here, a heroine with dark skin the color of grass (durba) is seated against a bolster on a verandah in a two-story palace. She is painting a portrait of a Rajput prince. A female companion sits in front of her holding a lotus and a floral garland. Both women are atypically nimbate. A golden lota is behind her. Behind her companion is a lamp (dipak), signifying her association with Dipak Raga. The blue sky indicates it is a daytime melody. See also M.81.8.10.
A Malashri Ragini from this series is in the Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin–Madison (1981.281).
