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

Devidasa of Nurpur · 1694-01-01T00:00:00Z

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.