A Woman Charms Snakes in the Wilderness: Asavari Ragini, from a Ragamala
Unknown Artist
early 1700s
Medium
gum tempera and gold on paper
Dimensions
page: 22.2 × 16.5 cm · miniature: 18.4 × 13.3 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2018.199
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Wearing a blouse and skirt made of leaves, the heroine retains her jewelry and diaphanous veil. She speaks to a snake, and others approach, charmed by her beauty. The multiple colors used for the rocks add to the otherworldly quality of the scene, and even they seem drawn to her spiritual magnetism.