Gunakali ragini
1640
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1640
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Gunakali ragini is a 1640 paint by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a lady picking flowers. She's getting ready for her lover to arrive. This scene is part of a bigger series of paintings that illustrate Indian musical modes. The series links music and poetry in a special way, with each painting showing a different story. This one tells a story of love and waiting. To learn more, look up the technique: sfumato.
The painting depicts Gunakali ragini, a musical mode from a ragamala series, showing a woman gathering flowers in preparation for her lover’s arrival. Rendered in opaque watercolour on paper, the scene follows the traditional iconography associated with this raga, where the activity symbolizes the anticipation of love. The work reflects the close ties between Indian musical and visual traditions, though the specific connection between the melody and its visual representation remains unexplained.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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