Johnson 32,1-6

J.32,1-6

Thirty-six drawings comprising a ‘ragamala’ series, arranged according to the Ordinary system.

Commissioned by Richard Johnson, Lucknow, c.1780-82.

Richard Johnson Collection. Purchased 1807.

Drawings, some coloured; mounted in an album in groups on six pages; each page decorated with floral garlands in colours and gold; rebound in modern red leather, c.1969.

Page 418 by 268 mm (approx.).

Published: Waldschmidt (1962), 185-89; Waldschmidt (1975), 541, no.32.

Note: Mounted on pages with floral garland decoration like that of Album 66, the series is executed in the lightly coloured drawing technique associated with the artists of Lucknow who worked for Johnson. It follows the Ordinary system without any discrepancy, save the exchange of positions of Setmalar and Devgandhar, presumably in error.

The pictures were evidently made from the ‘charbas’ of Album 31, and relate to others in Johnson’s collection described therein.. It appears that while Album 31 is Johnson’s original design for this arrangement of ‘ragamala’ pictures, the final version of this project is in Album 66. The floral designs of Album 32 are clearly by the same artist as those of Album 66, but are drawn to slightly smaller dimensions. Perhaps Johnson originally intended two finished sets like Album 66, but finally had to use these Lucknow drawings for the second set: the drawings do not accurately fit the spaces provided indicating that they were not originally intended for this use. It seems that the entire project was begun at Lucknow, but finished at Hyderabad (Album 66), in which case the floral page-designs of Album 32 must be Hyderabad work of c.1784-85.