The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Shri Raga, from a Ragamala

c. 1695

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Mewar

Gum tempera and gold on paper
Image: 34.4 x 22.5 cm (13 9/16 x 8 7/8 in.); Overall: 38 x 25 cm (14 15/16 x 9 13/16 in.)
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1931.451
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The horse-headed musician playing the cymbals is a celestial being (gandharva) famed for his sweet voice.

Description

This painting is from an important series made at a turning point in the history of court painting at the Rajput kingdom of Mewar. For the first time, a royal patron, Amar Singh II (r. 1698–1710), even before his accession to the throne, decided to incorporate Mughal elements into secular art, as seen in the white domed architecture and interest in conveying some sense of spatial depth. Nevertheless, the artist still adheres to the use of horizontal registers and bold planes of color. The codified iconography of Shri Raga involves a royal couple listening to recitations. Shri Raga is described as: "Splendidly enthroned of peerless beauty and lovely as the autumn moon, he sits hearing stories from Narada and Tumburu. By the great sages he is called Shri Raga King." Amar Singh has playfully substituted his own portrait for that of the generic king, and a woman for that of the sage. In music, Shri Raga is associated with the season of autumn and the harvest festivals, here evoked by the dancing female musicians in the lower register.
  • ?–1931
    Ananda K. Coomaraswamy [1877–1947] sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1931–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Hollis, Howard C. "An Early Rajput Painting." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 20, no. 6 (June 1933): 96–98. Reproduced: front cover; Mentioned: pp. 96–98 25137557
    Lee, Sherman. "The Decorative and the Super-Real: Two Rajasthani Miniatures." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 44, no. 8 (October 1957): 180-183. Mentioned: p. 181 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 768 archive.org
    Lee, Sherman E., and George Montgomery, ed. Rajput Painting. New York: Asia House, 1960. cat. no. 17A
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 238 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 238 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 306 archive.org
    Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1986. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 91
  • Indian Gallery 242 Rotation – April-November 2017. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 10-November 6, 2017).
    Main gallery rotation (gallery 245). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (November 2, 2015-April 4, 2016).
    Dance of the Gods: Indian Art Inspired by Music. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-December 8, 1996).
    Rajput Painting. Asia House, New York, NY (December 3, 1960-January 22, 1961).
    India's Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 2, 1949-January 22, 1950).
    Exhibition of the Month: Jewelry of India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 1-June 2, 1947).
    Exhibition of the Month: Music in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 2, 1945-February 4, 1946).
    The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).
  • {{cite web|title=Shri Raga, from a Ragamala|url=false|author=|year=c. 1695|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1931.451