Cleveland Museum of Art

Kausa Ragaputra of Malkos, from a Ragamala

Date

c. 1750

Medium

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Culture

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This specific musical mode is distinguished by a courtly couple sitting together without touching in a domestic space. They each hold a tame bird. Some consider the birds to be of the type used in elite hunting practices. The Pahari region of the northwest Himalayas was famous for its native hunting birds that were prized gifts among the nobility throughout South Asia. The woman is shown with equivalent confidence in handling the bird as her male companion. Although the inscription written in Takri script in the upper margin labels this scene as Kamod Raga of Dipak, the imagery pertains to the Kausa Ragaputra of Malkos. This painting was part of a larger manuscript and is the first from the series to enter the CMA's collection.

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