Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v3.c12.s5.4

v3.c12.s5.4

In this subject (Plate VII *b*) we see a lady in a thoughtful mood but with all the charm of her youth, which has been enhanced by scantiness of dress² and profusion of ornaments, and above all by a graceful attitude. She has placed one of the fingers of her left hand on her lip in the typical Indian style. The gesture denotes bashfulness as well as mental absorption. The artist was a master of the technique and he thoroughly understood where to lay the shade to accentuate the plastic beauty of the limbs. Behind the lady to her left is another figure who is fully dressed, the lower garment extending much below the knees and the upper part of the body covered either by a large scarf or a coat. Behind the lady is a dwarf of a fair complexion holding something in his hands which is not clear in the fresco.