Shri Raga, from a Ragamala

Shri Raga, from a Ragamala, is dated to 1695 and was made in Mewar; the artist is unknown. The painting entered the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection in 1931 (accession number 1931.451) and has remained there. No earlier ownership, commission, or further provenance details are recorded in the available sources.

Shri Raga, part of a Ragamala series, is a painted panel in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work is composed of two vertically stacked scenes. The upper register depicts an interior setting with a couple amid vivid red walls and gold detailing, while an exterior scene shows a woman playing a musical instrument beside a monkey, accompanied by a fan‑holding man. The lower register presents a mounted rider surrounded by three figures engaged in dance and music.

Ragamala paintings visually interpret the twelve principal ragas of Indian classical music, pairing each mode with a mythic or pastoral scene. Shri Raga, associated with auspiciousness and devotion, is traditionally linked to courtly festivities and divine love, themes that the dual scenes of domestic intimacy and public celebration embody. The work thus functions both as a decorative object and as a pedagogical illustration of musical theory.

As an exemplar of the ragamala tradition, the painting contributes to scholarly understanding of the interplay between visual art and music in pre‑colonial India. Its preservation in a major American museum facilitates comparative study with other South Asian artworks, highlighting the transmission of aesthetic concepts across cultures and the enduring relevance of ragamala iconography.