26/08/2022
This painting belongs to the Kangra Ashta-Nayika series from the 18th Century CE, which is based on the classification of women as described in Indian classical literature.
The lady pictured is the central protagonist, Utka Nayika, whose anxiety is heightened by her lover's inability to keep his appointment with her at the scheduled time. She waits at the trysting location, and to calm herself, she decorates the trees near the meeting place with jasmine garlands.
