Artwork
Ragini Desakh of Meghamalhar
Ragini Desakh of Meghamalhar is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1775 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
History & Provenance
The work was part of the collection displayed in the 1970 exhibition "Indian Miniatures: 15th–18th Century" at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting Ragini Desakh of Meghamalhar was created in 1775. It is attributed to an unknown artist and classified as a work from the eighteenth century. The artwork was acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it entered the collection in 1965 under the accession number 1965.32.
No further details regarding the original commission, specific patron, or the chain of ownership between its creation in 1775 and its arrival at the museum are provided in the available records.
Ragini Desakh of Meghamalhar is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is accessioned as 1965.32.
The work entered the museum collection in 1965 and has been exhibited in the museum's Indian miniature paintings gallery.
Exhibition history includes its presentation in the 1970 exhibition "Indian Miniatures: 15th–18th Century" at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting is catalogued under the accession number 1965.32.
The work was created in 1775 and is classified as a painting.
The artist is recorded as unknown in the museum's collection data.
The accession number 1965.32 is documented in the museum's records.
The work was part of the collection displayed in the 1970 exhibition "Indian Miniatures: 15th–18th Century" at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting's creation date is 1775.
The work is housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art's Indian miniature paintings gallery.
The accession number 1965.32 corresponds to the work's entry in the museum's collection.
Overview
Ragini Desakh of Meghamalhar is a painted composition that presents three male figures within a vivid landscape. The central figure is inverted, with bent legs and raised arms, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers. Flanking him are two upright figures, each holding distinct objects aloft, set against a pink hillside, green foliage, and a blue sky populated by white birds.
Subject & Meaning
The work juxtaposes an upside‑down central figure with two standing companions, suggesting a tension between inversion and stability. The objects they hold, a gold item on the left and a dark, red‑lined object on the right, may symbolize contrasting forces or values, while the energetic posture of the group conveys a sense of movement and perhaps ritualistic performance.
Technique & Style
Executed in bright, saturated hues, the painting employs a flat, decorative approach to color, with the pink terrain and blue sky rendered in broad washes. The figures are outlined with clear contours, and the composition balances vertical and diagonal lines, emphasizing dynamism through the central figure’s inversion and the raised implements.
Context
The title references a specific individual, Ragini Desakh, and a locale, Meghamalhar, situating the scene within a cultural or mythic framework. The inclusion of vivid natural elements, trees, hillside, sky, alongside stylized human activity aligns the piece with contemporary explorations of identity and place in regional art.
Artist & collection
