The Futility of Meeting the Loved One Through a Portrait

Artist/Culture Malwa

Artist/Culture Central Indian

Date1634

Mediumwatercolor on paper

Dimensions20.2 x 15.7 cm (7 15/16 x 6 3/16 in.)

ClassificationsNon-Western Miniatures

Credit LineGift of Alexander H. Bullock

Terms

Object number1953.57

DescriptionFrom a manuscript of the Rasikapriya of Keshavadasa.
Label TextThe Rasikapriya is the most authoritative Hindi text on rhetoric and literary analysis. Using Radha and Krishna as its ideal lovers, it categorizes the nayika, “heroine” or “soul,” in various stages of separation or union with the nayaka, “hero” or “god.” Here a friend admonishes Radha for thinking she can achieve union with Krishna through his likeness. “Can thirst be quenched by tales of water?” she asks. Although often dependent upon an icon, spiritual rapture (Radha’s union with Krishna) is possible only when God is present. As one of the first series pf Malwa paintings produced after the sack of Mandu by Mughals three-quarters of a century earlier, this manuscript is among those that set the style of later Malwa painting. The compartmentalized composition, simple arrangement of figures, and flat ground of rich, solid colors are among the major features of the school. ProvenanceAlexander H. Bullock, Worcester MA

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