Maru Ragini, from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies)
1665
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1665
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Maru Ragini, from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) is a 1665 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, depicting Deccan, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A warrior stands with his camel by a bright green stream. The ground behind them glows yellow, like hot sand. His belt holds a dagger and sword, and he grips a spear. This painting is part of a *Ragamala*—a set of images tied to music. Each one matches a melody, like a song without sound. The warrior’s camel hints at old Rajasthan tales where heroes ride them into battle or love stories. To see more like this, look up Rajasthan.
A Rajput warrior holding a spear, with piercing dagger ( katar ) and sword attached to his belt, stands alone with his camel in a landscape. They have arrived at the banks of a stream, verdant in contrast to the intense hot yellow of the ground behind them. The musical mode associated with this painting is based on folk melodies of Rajasthan, where local stories feature a hero with a camel mount.
The warrior’s belt is called a kamarband in Persian and is the origin of the English cummerbund.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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