Virahtokanthita (One Distressed by Separation) Nayika
Artist/Culture
Rajasthani
Artist/Culture
Indian
Date20th Century
Mediumgouache on cream wove paper
Dimensionssheet: 16.5 x 13.4 cm (6 1/2 x 5 1/4 in.)
ClassificationsDrawings
Credit LineGift from the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection
Object number2002.319
Label TextFor two millennia, nayikas – young women who personify emotions and aspects of beauty – have inspired Indian classical dance, music, poetry, and art. They are first mentioned in a poetic section of the dramaticist Bharata Muni’s Natya Shastra (Drama Scripture), an ancient Sanskrit text on the performing arts. He classified them as the Ashta-Nayika, eight heroines that represent the archetypal states of love and romance.
The heroine depicted here is the Virahtokanthita (One Distressed by Separation) Nayika. She is the heroine that waits for her lover who fails to return home, and is often depicted sitting or standing indoors or outdoors in anticipation of her beloved’s arrival. This painting represents a notable feature of the Ashta-Nayika theme – it generally places the heroines within a situation that has not even happened yet – being reunited with, seeing, or confronting her lover.
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