Artwork
Woman Longing for Her Lover: Verati Ragini of Dipak, from a Ragamala
Woman Longing for Her Lover: Verati Ragini of Dipak, from a Ragamala is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work depicts a domestic interior where a seated woman and a standing man share a balcony overlooking a courtyard.
About this work
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, depicting Verati Ragini of Dipak longing for her lover within a ragamala context.
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, depicting Verati Ragini of Dipak longing for her lover within a ragamala context. It measures 39.4 cm in height and 30.5 cm in width, reflecting 17th-century Indian miniature traditions adapted to canvas support. The work shows delicate linework and muted earth-toned palette characteristic of Pahari painting schools, with flattened spatial perspective and emotive facial expression conveying yearning. The Cleveland Museum of Art holds the piece in its collection, accessioned in 191718.
History & Provenance
The painting Woman Longing for Her Lover: Verati Ragini of Dipak, from a Ragamala, created around 1650, is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It is accessioned as 2018.176. The work has been part of exhibitions at the Cleveland Museum of Art, including the 2018 exhibition "Painting Perceptions: 17th Century Indian Miniatures".
Overview
The work depicts a domestic interior where a seated woman and a standing man share a balcony overlooking a courtyard. The man holds a fan, while the woman looks downward, suggesting a moment of quiet anticipation. Behind them a white structure with red-tiled roofs frames a tree and a small shrine, and the composition is bordered by a decorative band of red blossoms and gold motifs.
Subject & Meaning
The title, referencing a woman’s longing for her lover, frames the scene as an expression of desire and separation. The woman’s downcast gaze and the distance between the figures convey a sense of waiting, while the presence of the fan and the ornamental setting hint at courtly or aristocratic contexts common in narrative paintings of love and longing.
Artist & collection
- Woman Longing for Her Lover: Verati Ragini of Dipak, from a Ragamala
A Heroine and Her Paramour: Malavi Ragini, from a Ragamala
Lovers on a Terrace: Ramakali Ragini of Hindol, from a Bundi Ragamala
Ramakali Ragini
Dipak ragini
Shri Raga, from a Ragamala
A Royal Woman in a Pavilion: Desavarari Ragini of Dipak, from a Ragamala
