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Musical Mode, Possibly Kanara Putra
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
Two finely dressed noblemen play music under a canopy, while a third attends them, listening to their sound. The central figure’s stringed instrument is a vina; his companion accompanies him on a striped tanpura. The painting belongs to a series that illustrates poetic verses evoking the moods of specific musical modes: masculine "ragas," feminine "raginis," and their associated "putras," or “sons.” This scene most likely illustrates the ragaputra known as "Kanara," which one text describes in this way: “His body perfumed with delicious scents of various flowers, clothed in yellow robes, Kanara, extremely versed in musical entertainment, fascinates the dwellers of heaven.”
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2001, by gift.
Geographies
India, Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur (Place of Origin)
Measurements
9 x 6 1/2 in. (22.9 x 16.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2001
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.882