Utka Nayika with a Deer and Peacock

The subject of this miniature is a nayika, one of a series of eight heroines categorised in Indian literature since at least the first century. Though the Sanskrit word 'nayika' is often translated as 'heroine', the women typically represent emotional states in relation to the nayak (hero). This is an utka nayika, or virahotkaṇṭhitā, a woman who yearns for an absent lover. She is typically represented at night or in a storm, symbolic of her internal conflict and darkness. Peacocks are frequently included (see, for example, a 1760 leaf in the LA County Museum of Arts, accession no. M.72.88.7 and an 1840 painting in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession no. IS.125-1960), as representatives of the absent lover. Deer also feature frequently (see, for example, a leaf in the Harvard Art Museums, accession no. 1971.131). 
Though the mood of the miniature is sombre, the nayika's vibrant orange dress and the use of gold leaf to create the effect of the sun shining behind the clouds, hints at a brighter future. 

n.b. accession nos are clickable links