Artwork Page for Ascetic Princess with Snakes in a Wilderness: Asavari Ragini, from a Ragamala

Details / Information for Ascetic Princess with Snakes in a Wilderness: Asavari Ragini, from a Ragamala

Ascetic Princess with Snakes in a Wilderness: Asavari Ragini, from a Ragamala

c. 1650

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Bikaner

Medium
gum tempera and gold on paper
Measurements
Page: 25.8 x 18.2 cm (10 3/16 x 7 3/16 in.); Miniature: 19.7 x 12.7 cm (7 3/4 x 5 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.190
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

This painting once belonged to the filmmaker James Ivory (American, b. 1928).

Description

According to a theme explored in various examples of Indian poetry and literature, a princess has fled her royal life to live alone on an island in the forest. She has skillfully made a skirt and hut of leaves and vines. Suffering deprivation and practicing yogic disciplines, she has achieved the power to peacefully commune with the water snakes, who are mystically drawn to her.
A vertically oriented tempera and gold painting depicts a woman in a leaf skirt perched on a gray rock. She holds a snake aloft amidst pink, hilly ground where other serpents crawl and coil around trees. Behind her, a tall hut layered with dense green leaves towers against a pale sky. Fine, precise lines and delicate washes define the landscape. To our left, a lily pond sits at the bottom edge, framed by a border.

Ascetic Princess with Snakes in a Wilderness: Asavari Ragini, from a Ragamala

c. 1650

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Bikaner

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork