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

Not on view

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

This specific musical mode is distinguished by a courtly couple sitting together without touching in a domestic space. They each hold a tame bird. Some consider the birds to be of the type used in elite hunting practices. The Pahari region of the northwest Himalayas was famous for its native hunting birds that were prized gifts among the nobility throughout South Asia. The woman is shown with equivalent confidence in handling the bird as her male companion.

Although the inscription written in Takri script in the upper margin labels this scene as Kamod Raga of Dipak, the imagery pertains to the Kausa Ragaputra of Malkos.