A Woman Charms Snakes in the Wilderness: Asavari Ragini, from a Ragamala
1704
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1704
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
A Woman Charms Snakes in the Wilderness: Asavari Ragini, from a Ragamala is a 1704 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A woman in leafy clothes sits on rocks, playing music to snakes that slither toward her. She wears gold jewelry and a thin veil, even in the wild. The rocks glow in strange colors—pink, blue, green—like they’re alive too. This painting comes from a *Ragamala*, a set of images that pair music with pictures. Each scene tells a mood or story from Indian classical music. The artist made the wilderness feel magical, not scary. If you like this, look up *rajput kingdom of sirohi*—more paintings like it show royal life and music in the desert.
Wearing a blouse and skirt made of leaves, the heroine retains her jewelry and diaphanous veil. She speaks to a snake, and others approach, charmed by her beauty. The multiple colors used for the rocks add to the otherworldly quality of the scene, and even they seem drawn to her spiritual magnetism.
Unafraid, she offers a flower to one cobra and allows another to wind its way up her leg.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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