Northern India, Pahari kingdoms / c. 1800
Augury of the crow (Vasakasajja Nayika)
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Augury of the crow (Vasakasajja Nayika) as painting (Northern India, Pahari kingdoms · c. 1800).
Nayika is the term for a heroine figure in Indian art, literature, and drama.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as Gum tempera and gold on paper.
The museum's collection notes: The heroine in the doorway waits for her husband to return, but he is delayed, and ominous monsoon clouds gather in the distance. The pomegranate tree in her garden has ripe fruits full of seeds and bright red juices, suggestive of her fertility, but a crow is perched in the branches. The sound of a crow’s voice is an unlucky omen, and this further elevates her anxiety. A king of Kangra owned this painting, and the buildings of one of Kangra’s forts sits in the distance. In this way, the artist has brought an image known from classical poetry to a recognizable locale.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtAugury of the crow (Vasakasajja Nayika)Original explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.