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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1984.461
People
Unknown Artist
Title
Radha Confiding in Her Companion, folio from a Rasikapriya series
Classification
Manuscripts
Work Type
manuscript folio
Date
c. 1660-1680
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Bundi
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216120

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; Rajput Style
Technique
Painted
Dimensions
38.5 x 25 cm (15 3/16 x 9 13/16 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Philip Hofer
Accession Year
1984
Object Number
1984.461
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
An enthroned Radha sits in an open palatial courtyard. She converses with her sakhi (female companion), who kneels in front of her. A female attendant fans Radha from behind, while another one approaches. The courtyard opens to a dense and lush landscape. The dark sky is dotted with stars. A full moon sits in the sky between the chhatris of the palace. At the top of the painting is a solid yellow block that contains black text written in the Braj language. It states:

[The Nayika speaks to a Sakhi:]

O Sakhi! My eyes are not restless, neither is my speech sweet. I do not know the ways of love. I have never twisted my eyebrows. I have never looked at Krishna seductively. So why do my friends slander me? I am not cunning or crafty and I do not know how I was able to win over Krishna. (2.6)

The painting is surrounded by thick, red borders.

Publication History

  • Harsha V. Dehejia, Rasikapriya: Ritikavya of Keshavdas in Ateliers of Love, D. K. Printworld (P) Ltd. (New Delhi, India, 2013), p. 137, fig. 2.6: Bundi

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2590 South and Southeast Asia, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/26/2017 - 11/08/2017

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu