Lot Essay
The subject of the present painting could be an illustration of a scene from the Rasikapriya of Keshav Das, written in 1591. The work centers around heroes and heroines (nayakas and nayikas) and their interactions which are frequently emotionally charged. In the present painting the nayaka is absent but the intensity of the moment is conveyed in the look between the two women. The face of the duenna is particularly well executed.