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Two women on a balcony

Two women on a balcony

Indian

This drawing features two women in an elegantly appointed balcony. The kneeling nayika figure sits on a platform tending a flower arrangement, as her attendant waves a flywhisk over her head. The women’s features­wide eyes, highly arched brows, and short rounded noses­reflect traits of Benares regional art. This is most likely a practice sketch of a ragini, a feminine musical mode expressing longing for an absent lover. A short-hand, abbreviated line of Devanagari script may be interpreted to indicate this is a representation of the Kunkini Ragini.

Ink on paper

Drawings