[Rasikapriya],

early malwa painting

Keshav Das (d. 1601) was a renowned Indian court poet, best known for the Rasikapriya which is considered a pioneering work of Hindu literature dealing with the classification of idealised types of male and female lovers (nayakas and nayikas) and their emotions and interactions. The work was compiled around the 1590s, probably in Bundelkhand to the east of Malwa, and the present painting is from a near-contemporary series of illustrations depicting scenes from the poems. Three leaves from the same series are housed in the Ashmolean Museum's collections, these all dated c. 1630, also described as Malwa (accession nos. EA2012.200, EA2012.202, EA2012.201).

Single leaf, ink and gouache painting on paper, image double-ruled and framed within red borders, total leaf, 200 x 175 mm; lightly faded with some chipping of paint with slight loss of pigmentation, outer edges a little worn, contemporary ink inscription to reverse in Sanskrit, tipper-into card mount.