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Lot Essay
The Ragamala, or garland of melodies, is a cycle of paintings each of which represents a specific musical mode associated with a time of day and a season. While the visual representations can vary greatly, a certain degree of iconographic consistency can allow the raga to be identified. Vilavali Ragini is represented by a lady in a pavilion offering a lotus to a small child.
The present painting comes from an obscure painting tradition at Arki, the capital of the Baghal state near to Hindur and Bilaspur. Little is known on the history of the state, and relatively few works survive from Arki compared to its neighboring Pahari schools. Many of the known works stem from the present ragamala series, marked by its flat and angular architecture, distinct physiognomy, and full planes of color. Another work from this series is published in W.G. Archer, Visions of Courtly India: The Archer Collection of Pahari Miniatures, Washington, D.C., 1976, pp. 6-7, no. 3. Additional folios from this series can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no. 2022.244), the Cleveland Museum of Art (acc. no. 2018.88), the Philadelphia Museum of Art (acc. no. 1983-156-2), and the Howard Hodgkin Collection (Ashmolean no. LI118.87). A folio from the Paul F. Walter collection sold at Sotheby's New York, 14 November 2002, lot 58; another folio from the Sven Ghalin collection sold at Sotheby's London, 6 October 2015, lot 86.
The present painting comes from an obscure painting tradition at Arki, the capital of the Baghal state near to Hindur and Bilaspur. Little is known on the history of the state, and relatively few works survive from Arki compared to its neighboring Pahari schools. Many of the known works stem from the present ragamala series, marked by its flat and angular architecture, distinct physiognomy, and full planes of color. Another work from this series is published in W.G. Archer, Visions of Courtly India: The Archer Collection of Pahari Miniatures, Washington, D.C., 1976, pp. 6-7, no. 3. Additional folios from this series can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no. 2022.244), the Cleveland Museum of Art (acc. no. 2018.88), the Philadelphia Museum of Art (acc. no. 1983-156-2), and the Howard Hodgkin Collection (Ashmolean no. LI118.87). A folio from the Paul F. Walter collection sold at Sotheby's New York, 14 November 2002, lot 58; another folio from the Sven Ghalin collection sold at Sotheby's London, 6 October 2015, lot 86.