Illustration of a Nayika, Vipralabdha under a weeping willow

Illustration of a Nayika, Vipralabdha under a weeping willow

Mughal India, 18th century

Gouache on paper heightened with gold, pasted on an album page, with gold-flecked framing and cream margins decorated with flowery arabesques and gilded medallions. Vipralabdha, in a landscape, standing under a tree, in profile to the left on a purplish background, arms raised, one hand resting on her beaded headband. The heroine is adorned with jewels and dressed in a salmon-colored paijama covered with a muslin skirt. (Wear, chips) Frame size: 37.5 x 30; Miniature size: 14.8 x 9.2 cm Ashta-Nayika refers to the eight kinds of Nayikas or heroines, representing eight different states (avastha) in relation to their heroine (Nayaka), classified by Bharata in his Sanskrit treatise, Natya Shastra, on the performing arts. The eight Nayikas are divided into two categories: Sambhoga (love on meeting) and Vipralambha (love on parting). Here, a representation of Vipralabdha, "she who has been deceived by her lover", takes the form of a heroine who has waited all night for her lover, and discards her jewels when her lover breaks his promise. Provenance: Private collection, Paris. Illustration from a Nayika, Vipralabdha under a weeping willow, Mughal India, 18th century