An Illustration to a Ragamala Series: Tanka Ragini, India, Deccan, circa 1760-70

A solitary maiden sits on a cushion resembling a lotus pod in a raised pavilion within a walled flower garden. She holds a garland in one hand. Trim flowerbeds are axially arranged around the central pavilion and interspersed with leafy shrubs and trees. The viewer’s eye follows a gently curving diagonal within the picture frame, from the small fountain in the foreground to the duck pond in the background, terminating in an arched gateway beyond surmounted by turrets. This painting has been described in the past as possibly Gunakali or Gormalhar Ragini. However, an inscription in Devanagari on the verso identifies the subject as Tanka Ragini. The precise detailing and execution of the maiden's face, hair and attire - especially the floral patterned skirt reflecting the flowers around her, as well as her many strands of pearls clasped with jewels, are all very elegantly rendered.

The painting is notable for its geometric composition as well as the generous use of white. These elements, together with the individualized, unconventional iconography, are hallmarks of Deccani ragamala painting. For another picturization of this particular ragini, see Klaus Ebeling, Ragamala Paintings, Basel, Paris, New Delhi, 1973, no. 216, p. 249. In both this illustration from Amber, dated to 1766 and another eighteenth century representation of the same subject from Lucknow in the collections of the Louvre (accession number: AD 10534/7) the heroine is prostrate with longing as she pines for her absent lover. Our present painting depicting the nayika lost in thought but seated upright in a confident, relaxed posture, offers a study in contrast. The image is set within a salmon-buff folio border that recalls the well-known Kolhapur Ragamala series, see Sotheby’s New York, September 21 1995, lot 113.