Krishna Abhisarika Nayika, from a Rasikapriya manuscript
1620
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1620
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Krishna Abhisarika Nayika, from a Rasikapriya manuscript is a 1620 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A woman in a red scarf strangles another woman while a man watches from a balcony. The scene is packed into a small, bright painting with flat colors and no shadows. This is a moment from a love poem called the *Rasikapriya*. The woman in red is the hero’s wife—she’s caught him cheating and is taking her anger out on his mistress. The artist didn’t sign the work, so we don’t know who painted it, but the style is common in Rajasthan around 1600. To see more paintings like this, look up the Rajput kingdom of Amber.
Two women quarrel outside a house while the Nayaka (hero protagonist) watches from a safe distance. The woman wearing a red scarf appears to be the Nayaka’s wife or beloved, who has just realized her partner’s infidelity. In a fit of anger, she strangles the other woman, who would be the Nayaka’s mistress, and raises a leg to kick her.
The mistress of the protagonist offers her rival a betel leaf to calm her down.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Your cart is empty
Explore artworks →
