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Woman Addressing a Peacock: Gujari Ragini of Megh, from a Ragamala

Unknown

1680

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Baroque Mughal Painting Baroque Religious

Dominant colour

Woman Addressing a Peacock: Gujari Ragini of Megh, from a Ragamala is a 1680 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1680 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

A woman in a red dress sits on a throne, playing a stringed instrument. A peacock dances in front of her, tilting its head. Two small birds flutter away behind them. This painting is part of a *Ragamala*—a set of images that pair music with pictures. Each image shows a different musical mood, like a playlist in paint. The woman isn’t just singing; she’s singing *Gujari Ragini*, a song about longing for someone far away. The peacock, drawn to her music, almost feels like a listener too. To see more paintings like this, look up *rajput kingdom of bundi or raghogarh*.

The story of this work

Overview

Gujari Ragini, a musical mode, is personified as the one who sings songs praising her beloved on experiencing pangs of separation. She sits on a throne outside a well-appointed chamber and holds her stringed instrument, the vina, in her right hand. Her songs have attracted a male peacock who dances to the tunes she sings. A pair of yellow birds take flight in the background.