Who painted Shri Raga, from a Ragamala?

Shri Raga, from a Ragamala was painted by Unknown in 1695.

Where can I see Shri Raga, from a Ragamala?

Shri Raga, from a Ragamala is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Shri Raga, from a Ragamala?

Shri Raga, from a Ragamala is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

Shri Raga, from a Ragamala

Unknown , 1695

Shri Raga, from a Ragamala is an unspecified painting by the Baroque artist Unknown. It dates from 1695 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work belongs to a series created during a pivotal moment for court painting in the Mewar kingdom of Rajput India.

Accession no.: 1931.451
Credit line: Edward L. Whittemore Fund

About this work

Overview

The work belongs to a series created during a pivotal moment for court painting in the Mewar kingdom of Rajput India. Commissioned by the future ruler Amar Singh II before his coronation (1698–1710), the painting merges traditional Rajput conventions with emerging Mughal influences, reflecting a deliberate shift in royal taste toward more varied visual vocabularies.

Subject & Meaning

The composition depicts a regal figure, identified as Shri Raga, seated beneath a white‑domed pavilion and listening to the celestial musicians Narada and Tumburu. The king’s portrayal, described in contemporary verse as peerlessly beautiful and likened to the autumn moon, underscores his association with the autumn season and harvest festivities, a connection reinforced by dancing female musicians positioned in the lower register.

Technique & Style

Mughal elements appear in the rendering of the white dome and the subtle gradations that suggest depth, while the overall structure retains Rajput characteristics: horizontal registers, bold, flat color fields, and a layered, almost theatrical arrangement of figures. This hybrid approach balances spatial illusion with the iconic, stylized aesthetic long favored by Mewar’s court painters.

History & Provenance

Amar Singh II’s patronage marks the first known instance of a Rajput sovereign explicitly integrating Mughal visual motifs into secular artworks. By inserting his own likeness in place of the generic king and replacing a sage with a female figure, the patron personalized the iconography, signaling both his authority and his desire for artistic innovation within the established court tradition.