Vilaval Ragini: Folio from a ragamala series (Garland of Musical Modes)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Vilaval ragaini is to be performed in the morning, as suggested by the sun rising in a dark sky. In poetry this raga is described as a lady preparing to meet her lover, and here she is shown looking in a mirror and fixing her earrings. The pavilion is represented without depth and great emphasis is given to surface patterning. The orange borders and the red and green color fields in the architectural frame link the work to an exquisite ragamala series attributed to the Sirohi court. The overall composition may be compared to late seventeenth-century Malwa court styles, with which the artist of this series likely had contact.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art