DEVIDASA OF NURPUR. A Courtesan and Her Lover Estranged by a Quarrel: Page from a Rasamanjari series

DEVIDASA OF NURPUR (active ca. 1680-ca. 1720)

A Courtesan and Her Lover Estranged by a Quarrel: Page from a Rasamanjari series

A Courtesan and Her Lover Estranged by a Quarrel: Page from a Rasamanjari series. Artist: Devidasa of Nurpur (active ca. 1680-ca. 1720). Culture: India (Punjab Hills, Basohli). Dimensions: Overall: 8 5/8 x 12 3/4in. (21.9 x 32.4cm) Painting within rules: 6 3/4 x 11 1/4 in. (17.2 x 28.6 cm). Date: dated 1694-95. The Rasamanjari (Essence of the Experience of Delight) is a series of late fifteenth-century poems that subtly categorizes amorous situations, moods, and physical traits of women. In this image, the half-open doorway alludes to the lover's hasty departure from the palace of his mistress. The marble gateway with darkened portal visually separates the two and forms a visual metaphor for their rift. Unlike earlier versions of this theme, in which the nayaka (lover hero) is represented as Krishna, here that role is played by a princely figure, adding heightened realism to the scene.

Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Model: No - Property: No
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4247 x 2770 px | 33.7 MB

36.0 x 23.5 cm | 14.2 x 9.2 in (300 dpi)