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Kamasutra
Art Gallery - 5
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Both fellatio and cunnilingus were common
themes in the temple sculpture of Khajuraho. In medieval times
oral practices were condemned, but by the time of Ratiratnapradipika
a more liberal view pertained. In this cloth painting a girl,
encouraged by her royal lover's benign gaze, has worked her way through
perhaps half the detailed techniques recommended by Vatsyayana. Orissa,
nineteenth century. |
| Any pleasures great enough to make a courtesan
forsake a wealthy lover for a pauper must, as Vatsyayana knew well, have
been exquisite indeed. Here, perhaps using the complete armoury
of techiniques supplied by Ratiratnapradipika , a pair of royal
lovers save for their sumptuous jewellery, enjoy Kakila, the
crow. The intimacy and delicacy of the painting echo the
sensations of the couple, and the painter has caught the tenderness and
compassion of their love-making. Bundi, late eighteenth
century. |
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Fanned by attentive servant girls, the
gentleman lovingly embraces his lady and offers her paan. The
painting is one of a set which illustrates the Rasikapriya of
the poet Keshavdas. Malwa, Central India, c. 1680 |
| This vignette, from a rare manuscript of Amarushataka,
a poem which records the amourous exploits of the poet-king Amaru,
shows the final stage of a lover's quarrel. Amaru has unwittingly called
his lover by another girl's name, provoking the reaction Vatsyayana
foretold, and he now says, disarmingly, that if she's determined to
quarrel she must give him back all the kisses and embraces he has given
her. Malwa c.1680 |
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The mischievous god Krishna has stolen the
clothes of the gopis or milkmaids, while they are bathing in
the river Yamuna. He is indifferent to their anger, shame and
pleas for mercy, and refuses to return the bright saris that
festoon the tree in which he is sitting until each of them has emerged,
naked, from the water and given him a kiss. This is a favourite
theme in Indian painting, and perhaps the story was at the back of
Vatsyayana's mind when he advised his reader to take his girlfriend out
swimming. Sholapur Deccani, late eighteenth century. |
| An elopement by night. The lover has
brought his elephant through a lotus filled lake to an unguarded
part of the palace, where his princess awaits him. Helped by her
maids, she slides precariously down by a rope as he reaches up to guide
her safely into the howda. The subject combines adventure
with romance, an irresistible lure to any Mughal painter. Mughal,
late eighteenth century. |
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