Heroine with Peacock, 19th century, 17 11/16 x 11 in. (45 x 28 cm), Watercolor on paper, India, 19th century, This alluring and voluptuous woman represents a nayika, or a woman in love, a common theme in medieval Indian literature and seventeenth and eighteenth century manuscript painting. The peacock she holds on her lap is a trope from Indian painting, a metaphor for the longing she feels for her absent lover. Her fancy white dotted sari, with a red and blue border, slips down to reveal her full breasts, a pose doubtlessly intended to titillate the viewer.