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Kota Murals
The murals of Shri Devata Shridhar's Haveli. Kota School of mural painting. C. Eighteenth to the middle of nineteenth century A.D. - a period of nearly 150 years.
9. THE THORN:
This subject is oft repeated in Rajasthani painting. She is an "Abhisarika", adorned with all the lady's embellishments, going to visit her lover in a tryst, The arrested movement, created by the prick of the thorn in her left foot, is very aptly suggested by the flowing skirt and lifting of the 'chundari' from the forehead. The rhythmic flow of the lines of the two arms, one removing the thorn and the other lifting the veil from the head reverberate the lines of the thin waist and the raised breast. The bent left leg cutting right across the vertical lines of the figure breaks the montony of the composition. The lotus eye of the 'nayika, her hairdo, pearl necklaces, 'ghunghru' and the wristlets with coloured strings and finally the ringlet of hair flowing down from the broad forehead to the cheek are all symbolic of the Nathadwara school of painting. The Parijataka tree in the background echoes the posture of the 'nayika and continues the rhythm of the whole composition. The parrots and the peacock in the vicinity add interrest to the subject matter.
10. MRIGANAYANI (DOE-EYED):
In a vertical composition, the figure of the graceful lady posed in a "tribhangi" is charming. Compare the eye of the doe with that of the lady. The beauty of the delicate torso with the curvacious lines of the hips and the raised breasts is suggestive of the sensuous sentiments to be aroused in the beholder. A typically Rajasthani figure in all its charm and poise. The framing of the head.
between the raised arms with hands intertwined is a conventional method of relieving the head from the rest of the background. The tie-and-die bandhana' scarf with the design of flower motifs on it adds to the decorative charm of the figure. The hillocks with clumps of shrubs at the top of the picture repeat the curvelinear rhythm of the ensemble.
11. LADY PLAYING WITH 'CAKRI':
A pastime of the ladies of the zanana of the Rajput and Moghul kings. The lady is swinging the toy in an up-and-down movement and listening to its
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