Open full image Pin

Madhava faces a man holding a scale, folio 1 from a Madhavanala-Kamakandala

Unknown

1720

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Baroque Mughal Painting 18th Century Allegory

Dominant colour

Madhava faces a man holding a scale, folio 1 from a Madhavanala-Kamakandala is a 1720 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1720 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a man in a pink robe holding a stringed instrument while another man weighs coins on a scale. This painting is the first page of a story about Madhava, a musician so skilled his music charms women. The extra riches he earns make others jealous. The artist shows the moment right before trouble starts—Madhava’s talent is about to cause problems. To see more paintings like this, look up northern India, Pahari kingdoms.

The story of this work

Overview

In the opening page of the series, the artist sets the scene in the city of Pushpavati. The protagonist Madhava holds a stringed instrument (vina), which he plays so bewitchingly that women become entranced. His good looks and musical talent earn him extra riches, which are being presented to him at the lower left. Other Brahmin priests and members of the nobility become jealous.