Woman Addressing a Peacock: Gujari Ragini of Megh, from a Ragamala
Unknown Artist
c. 1680
Medium
gum tempera and gold on paper
Dimensions
page: 31.2 × 24.8 cm · miniature: 24.2 × 17.8 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2018.159
About this artwork
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.