A Lady with Attendant and a Pair of Deer: Probably Gujari Ragini of Dipak, from a Pahari Ragamala

1710–20

A Lady with Attendant and a Pair of Deer: Probably Gujari Ragini of Dipak, from a Pahari Ragamala, 1710–20. Northern India, Himachal Pradesh, Pahari Kingdom, probably Chamba. Gum tempera on paper; page: 21.9 x 15.6 cm (8 5/8 x 6 1/8 in.); image: 16.7 x 10.1 cm (6 9/16 x 4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.108 Two ladies, one clad in a transparent shawl and the other wearing a Mughal peshwaz, are flanked by a pair of deer under a flowering tree. The lady standing on a hexagonal stool is fondly caressing the deer while her attendant holds a vina, an Indian musical instrument. The scene is set against a solid mauve monochromatic background. The lady fondling the deer is adorning a transparent muslin shawl.