A Confidante delivers a message from the Hindu deity Krishna to his consort Radha, from a manuscript of the Rasikapriya (Connoisseur's Delights)

This painting, like the one to your left, comes from a literary text concerned with themes of love. Composed in 1591 by a court poet in central India, the Rasikapriya details the various emotions, actions, and situations of lovers who are often idealized as the Hindu god Krishna and his consort Radha. In this scene, a seated Radha ponders a message from Krishna, which her female companion has conveyed. In literature and imagery the world over, awaiting and receiving a lover's message are often depicted as emotionally charged moments.

Through the course of its history, the region of Malwa in central India was home to Jain merchants, Muslim rulers, and Hindu kings. Beginning in the fifteenth century, its painters produced highly distinctive works of art for these various patrons. This page belongs to the earliest illustrated series that can be associated with Malwa's Hindu kingdoms. Its strong red, green, and yellow colors; simple architecture; and white-banded sky are typical of a painting style that flourished in the region until about 1650.