Kausa Ragaputra of Malkos, from a Ragamala

c. 1750

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

Medium

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Measurements

Image: 18 x 14.8 cm (7 1/16 x 5 13/16 in.); Paper: 22.4 x 18.7 cm (8 13/16 x 7 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Natesan Galleries, Ltd., London 2001.111

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Location

242B Indian Painting

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Did You Know?

This painting was part of a larger manuscript and is the first from the series to enter the CMA's collection.

Description

A courtly couple holding tame hunting birds projects a mood of romance and a connection with nature. The Pahari region of the northwest Himalayas was famous for its native hunting birds that were prized among the nobility throughout South Asia.

Kausa Ragaputra is also the name of a mode, or key, in classical Indian music. Improvised pieces of music played in this mode accord with the imagery. This painting is part of a set showing scenes associated with how a listener feels when hearing corresponding musical performances. The whole set is called a Ragamala, or “garland of melodies.”