Woman in a Blue Sari with Pot

Adopted by the Bengal School but also by the Bombay Realists, the portrait of beautiful Indian woman in natural setting was a favourite among early 20th century Indian artists. Trindade painted several versions of this theme conveying the beauty of native women equating their virtue to the pure and simple village life.
Draped in a royal blue sari with red borders and a gold and green blouse, richly adorned with gold necklaces, a nose ring, bracelets and earrings, the pensive lady holds a metal water container in a direct association between the sitter and her feminine role and village existence. The full pot symbolizes wealth, well-being but also fertility.
References: Shihandi, Marcella, et al, António Xavier Trindade: An Indian Painter from Portuguese Goa (exhibition catalogue), Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, 1996; Gracias, Fátima, Faces of Colonial India: The Work of Goan Artist António Xavier Trindade (1870-1935), Panjim, Goa, Fundação Oriente, 2014.