Kedar Ragini from the Chunar Ragamala

Maker(s)
Artist: Shaykh Hatim
Historical period(s)
Hada dynasty, Reign of Rao Raja Bhoj Singh, 1591
Movement
Bundi Court
School
Rajput School
Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 22.5 x 15 cm (8 7/8 x 5 7/8 in)
Geography
India, Uttar Pradesh state, Chunar
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1985.2
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Painting

Keywords
Hada dynasty, India, lotus, music, nasta'liq script, peacock, prayer, prayer beads, ragamala, yogini
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

The Chunar Ragamala is of great importance to understanding the relationship of Mughal to Rajput painting. Its three artists, Shaykh Husain, Shayh'Ali, and Shaykh Hatim, were trained in the Imperial Mughal court. They produced this Ragamala series for Rao Raja Bhoj Singh (r. 1585-1607) at his estate at Chunar (Uttar Pradesh). The series was later brought to the Rao Raja's kingdom of Bundi (Rajasthan); it became the compositional model for ragamalas produced there over the next 200 years. Images of Kedar Raga depict an ascetic in meditation. The unique feature of Kedar ragini in the Chunar set and other Bundi ragamalas is the Muslim darvish visiting a meditating yogini (female ascetic).

Published References
  • John Seyller. Workshop and Patron in Mughal India: The Freer Ramayana and Other Illustrated Manuscripts of 'Abd al-Rahim. Supplementum 42, Zürich and Washington. p. 35, fig. 14.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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