A GUJARATI VILLAGE WOMAN
Possibly Delhi, Company School, Northern India, mid to late 19th century

Opaque pigments, ink and pencil on paper, the standing portrait depicting a Gujarati village woman wearing a typical long colourful skirt, red top and a diaphanous green shawl around her body and head, her arms covered with green, red and white bangles, a traditional symbol of engaged / married women, the colour red standing for prosperity and positive energy, the green for fertility, and the white for the start of a new life, carrying simple tools made of raw materials in a large woven basket, set within black rules, mounted, glazed and framed, 38.5cm x 31cm including the frame.