A Courtesan and Her Lover Estranged by a Quarrel

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)
Date:dated 1694–95
Culture:India (Punjab Hills, Basohli)
Medium:Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
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)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Bequest of Cora Timken Burnett, 1956

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.

Provenance

Cora Timken Burnett , Alpine, NJ (by d. 1956; bequeathed to MMA)

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