SCHOOL OF RAJA RAVI VARMA

This impressive portrait of a noble woman, painted around the early 20th century, is stylistically influenced by European academic realism and adopts Western oil painting techniques, both of which had been introduced in the Indian Subcontinent a few decades earlier. The most notable Indian artist to adopt this practice was Raja Ravi Varma, who pioneered the use of oil paints on canvas to portray Indian subjects and narratives, both real and mythological. In a similar fashion, the unknown artist of this work, a contemporary of Ravi Varma, convincingly renders the expression and fine details of the costume and jewelry of his subject, capturing her innate beauty.

Portraying his subject holding a vase of roses, the artist accentuates the femininity of the work. The woman’s gaze, however, is confident and direct, and her long undone hair symbolizes an empowered rather than demure character. She wears a gold-bordered sari, casually draped over her left shoulder, and a white angia-like bodice underneath that daintily ties at the neck. Adorned with several gold and diamond-studded jewels, it is likely that she belongs to one of India’s noble or royal families.