Folio from an Ragamala Series: Madhu Madhavi Ragini

About 1660-1680

India, Madhya Pradesh, Malwa region

Opaque watercolor and ink on paper

H. 9 x W. 6 5/8 in. (22.9 x 16.8 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.57

Ragamala (Garland of Ragas) paintings are inspired by classical melodies (ragas), each depicting a characteristic of love or heroic behavior. The standard Ragamala is a set of thirty-six paintings depicting possible relationships between men and women, categorized according to the emotional potential of different times of day (such as dawn or sunset) and seasons of the year (for example, pre-monsoon heat or the rainy season). In this painting of a woman rushing through the rain to meet her lover, a sense of joyous anticipation is heightened by the time of day -- early evening -- and by the rain and lightning that characterize the monsoon season. The sense of drama is intensified by the woman's startled reaction to the bolt of lightning.