2012: Ragamala Paintings from India
25 January 2012 - 27 May 2012
A ragamala or ‘garland of ragas’ is a set of miniature paintings depicting various musical modes, ragas, of Indian music. Each painting is accompanied by a brief caption or poem that describes the mood of the raga, most frequently devotion and love – in its various aspects.
Ragamala painting flourished throughout the royal courts of India in the late 1400s and dwindled in the 1800s, with the decline of aristocratic patronage. This exhibition will unveil a rare collection of 24 exquisite miniatures from the Claudio Moscatelli Collection, in a journey across the Indian subcontinent. It is the first show in the UK to focus exclusively on the Ragamala genre.