AN ILLUSTRATION TO A PROVINCIAL ASHTA NAYIKA SERIES: THE HEROINE PICKING FLOWERS
Jaipur, Rajasthan, North-Western India, 19th century

Opaque pigments, black ink and gold on wove wasli paper, the vertical composition depicting a nayika (female heroine) knelt on the grass picking flowers and gently offering one to a bird or chick on her left, her golden halo and skirt synonyms of important status, a distant village in the background on the right, at the top four lines of black ink Devanagari script, set within red and white rules, and silver, blue and bright red borders, 17.5cm x 25cm.