- Title
- Hindola Raga, Folio from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies)
- Date Made
- circa 1650
- Period
- 17th century
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 6 3/4 x 5 3/4 in. (17.15 x 14.61 cm); Sheet: 8 1/4 x 6 5/8 in. (20.96 x 16.83 cm)
- Accession Number
- AC1999.127.6
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
An inscription in the upper yellow header of this painting identifies it Hindola Raga and states that it is the third (raga in the iconographic system). A lengthy passage on the back of the painting describes the gem-encrusted swing and the beauty and ornaments of the Lord Hindola. Hindola Raga is unique insofar as it is the only musical mode represented by the same basic visual imagery regardless of the iconographic or geographic system followed. The iconography used for the raga is derived from its name, Hindola, meaning “swing,” which is the predominant visual feature of the paintings. It is a morning melody associated with the rainy season, especially the Indian month of Chaitra (March-April). Accordingly, burgeoning rain
clouds and storms are often portrayed in the literary and pictorial illustrations of Hindola Raga.
Besides the set motif of a swing, there are varying numbers of participants in the scene. Typically, a hero or Krishna is shown seated on the swing, usually with a heroine but sometimes alone. Also present are several musicians and attendants, mainly female, one of whom waves a flywhisk over the protagonist(s). Here, Krishna holds a vina and is seated on the swing with Radha. They are attended by four handmaidens who push the swing, waive a flywhisk, hold a stringed instrument (tambura), and carry a box of pan quids. A row of dark storm clouds fills the sky and rains are cascading. See also M.72.38, M.82.42.9, and M.2001.229.2.
- Selected Bibliography
- Pal, Pratapaditya; Markel, Stephen; Leoshko, Janice. Pleasure Gardens of the Mind: Indian Paintings from the Jane Greenough Green Collection. Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd.: Los Angeles, 1993.
