Having removed and folded their colorful outer garments, three athletes demonstrate their physical prowess in this Indian miniature. While the agile man in the foreground executes a handstand, the muscular pair flanking a pole used for climbing leap into the air. Originally, the miniature would have been part of a series illustrating different musical modes. The inscription equates the energetic mode of Desakh with a tall, fierce, long-armed wrestler who slaps his body resoundingly and is resplendent like the moon.
Desakha Ragini, from a Ragamala series, Rajasthan, India, ca. 1725, MS M.1049.1, Gift of Anna C. Walter, 1983.