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Yoginīs in a Landscape India, Mughal period, late 17th century. Opaque watercolour and gold on paper. "In a deep landscape hazily washed with translucent blues, five yoginīs, or female ascetics, wearing fine gold-edged muslin and adorned with gold ornaments, hold aloft tiny golden cups of wine while the yoginī in the centre also holds a stringed musical instrument. Although the artist has depicted the humble possessions of ascetics in precious materials, the yoginīs' wine cups, stringed instrument, and lightly draped shawls refer to yogic practice. Ascetics usually eschew clothing, smear their bodies with ashes, and chant or sing prayers to the accompaniment of a simple instrument such as the single-string ektar shown in this painting. The vast plain depicted in the painting and the delicately limned shrines create an appropriate setting for ascetics who wander between pilgrimage sites or live in isolated retreats." Devi: The Great Goddess, Smithsonian Institution. |
