Dhanasri Ragini

Dhanasri Ragini is part of a “Ragamala” series of paintings. In Hindustani classical music, a “raga” is a scale, which is gendered masculine through cultural convention, while a “ragini” is the feminine counterpart. The “Ragamala” is the name of both a musical treatise and a genre of paintings, in which artists depict a series of personified ragas and raginis to create a “garland (mala) of ragas.” In this painting, Dhanasri ragini is represented as a woman longing for her lover. She sits painting outside her empty bedchamber, in the company of her sakhi or friend. Based on generic conventions, we can assume she is painting her absent lover. The luxurious setting indicates the women may be residents of the royal zenana or women’s quarters. The painting is rare evidence of early modern Indian women’s artmaking.