Ragamala Paintings from India: Poetry, Passion, Song

Rings on their fingers and bells on their toes: Himachal Pradesh, northern India, c.1690

By Brian Sewell 26 Jan 2012

A collection of Indian miniatures influenced by music has its enchanting moments but its mysteries remain unexplained.

The catalogue of the new exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, Ragamala Paintings from India, begins with “A ragamala is a set of paintings depicting various musical modes, ragas, of Indian music. each miniature illustrates a poem … so, ragamala painting is a genre involving poetry, music