مرقع

Walters Ms. W.669, Album of Indian miniatures and Persian calligraphy

Walters Ms. W.669, Album of Indian miniatures and Persian calligraphy

Muraqqaʿ

مرقع

This is an album (muraqqaʿ) compiled in the late thirteenth century AH / nineteenth CE, or possibly later. It contains nineteen Deccani paintings and four pages of shikastah calligraphy (fols. 3b, 7b, 8a, and 9b), one of which is dated 1211 AH / 1796 CE (fol. 3b). The paintings, which date to the late twelfth century AH / eighteenth CE or thirteenth century AH / nineteenth CE, come from a ragmala series attributable to the Deccan. A ragmala is a visualization of a musical mode or melody. This album contains a mix of visualizations of ragas (male musical modes) and raginis (female musical modes considered to be the wives of the male musical modes). The codex was formerly in an accordion format, and the multicolor flexible cloth hinges on the leaves are still visible. It was later rebound in a brown goatskin binding with a central lobed oval. For full description, see http://www.thedigitalwalters.org/Data/WaltersManuscripts/html/W669/description.html

The primary language in this manuscript is Persian.

Nineteen Indian Rajput-style miniatures; borders of various colors; gold frames

fol. 1b Nata ragini Illustration This ragini is known in some sets as Sindhu ragini.

fol. 2a Karnata ragini (Kanada ragini) Illustration

fol. 2b Sri raga Illustration

fol. 3a Megha raga Illustration

fol. 3b Shikastah calligraphy Calligraphy page This page shows shikastah calligraphy after the model of Mīrzā Ḥasan, dated Iṣfahān, Ramadan 1211 AH / 1796 CE.

fol. 4a Todi ragini Illustration

fol. 4b Asavari ragini Illustration

fol. 5a Female performing a ritual at night with a full moon Illustration The identification is unclear on this page.

fol. 5b Khambhavati ragini Illustration

fol. 6a Khambhavati ragini Illustration

fol. 6b Malavakausa raga (Malakausika, Malakausa, Malkos raga) Illustration

fol. 7a Dipaka raga (Dipak) Illustration

fol. 7b Shikastah calligraphy Calligraphy page

fol. 8a Shikastah calligraphy Calligraphy page

fol. 8b Bhairava raga Illustration This is possibly Vasanta ragini.

fol. 9a Madhumadhavi ragini Illustration

fol. 9b Shikastah calligraphy Calligraphy page

fol. 10a Vasanta ragini (Vasant) Illustration

fol. 11a An Indian woman, holding a fan, at a pond Illustration The identification is unclear on this page.

fol. 11b Gauri ragini (Gaudi ragini) Illustration

fol. 12a Lalita ragini Illustration

fol. 12b Hindola raga Illustration

fol. 13a Malava ragini Illustration The identification is uncertain on this page.

Late 12th century AH / 18th CE -- 13th century AH / 19th CE

Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters bequest

Persian

paper

image/jpeg

1785-1850

All Walters manuscript images and descriptions provided here are copyrighted © The Walters Art Museum.