Bhairavi Ragini (Page of a Ragamala) Polychrome pigments and gold on paper. North India, 18th century. (Minor alterations to the pictorial layer, but well preserved). 15.5 x 11 cm Provenance: French private collection, catalogued in the collection as acquired on October 5, 1995 at Drouot (expert Kevorkian). The theme of ragamala Bhairavi Ragini represents a scene of lingam worship, taking place near Mount Kailash (Shiva's sacred mountain), which can be seen here in the background. Under the moonlight, three young women are kneeling under a tree in front of a domestic temple housing a lingam, incarnation of the god Shiva. The first one is holding a bowl of offerings that she is about to place in front of the lingam. A heron watches the scene, while in the background four men converse. For a painting by Bhairavi Ragini of very similar style and composition, see : Nature Catalogue, Alexis Renard, 2013, p. 30, no. 23. Another painting of the same theme is in the Metropolitan Museum in New York (inv. no. 45.174.2).