A Courtesan and Her Lover Estranged by a Quarrel: Page from a Rasamanjari series

A Courtesan and Her Lover Estranged by a Quarrel: Page from a Rasamanjari series

Devidasa of Nurpur

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Rasamanjari (Essence of the Experience of Delight) is a series of late fifteenth-century poems that subtly categorizes amorous situations, moods, and physical traits of women. In this image, the half-open doorway alludes to the lover’s hasty departure from the palace of his mistress. The marble gateway with darkened portal visually separates the two and forms a visual metaphor for their rift. Unlike earlier versions of this theme, in which the nayaka (lover hero) is represented as Krishna, here that role is played by a princely figure, adding heightened realism to the scene.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A Courtesan and Her Lover Estranged by a Quarrel: Page from a Rasamanjari seriesA Courtesan and Her Lover Estranged by a Quarrel: Page from a Rasamanjari seriesA Courtesan and Her Lover Estranged by a Quarrel: Page from a Rasamanjari seriesA Courtesan and Her Lover Estranged by a Quarrel: Page from a Rasamanjari seriesA Courtesan and Her Lover Estranged by a Quarrel: Page from a Rasamanjari series

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.