Shri Raga, from a Ragamala

A CLOSER LOOK

The museum identifies this painting as Gum tempera and gold on paper.

The museum's collection notes: This painting is from an important series made at a turning point in the history of court painting at the Rajput kingdom of Mewar. For the first time, a royal patron, Amar Singh II (r. 1698–1710), even before his accession to the throne, decided to incorporate Mughal elements into secular art, as seen in the white domed architecture and interest in conveying some sense of spatial depth. Nevertheless, the artist still adheres to the use of horizontal registers and bold planes of color. The codified iconography of Shri Raga involves a royal couple listening to recitations. Shri Raga is described as: "Splendidly enthroned of peerless beauty and