Woman in Pink Sari with Pot

The depiction of simple folk or beautiful Indian woman in native attire is a recurring motif in Trindade’s legacy as well as in the works of his contemporaries. A very popular theme among Western and Indian audiences for its Indianness, grace and lyricism, these portraits always seem to praise the virtues of the traditional village life.
Her peaceful presence and graceful pose concur with the feminine ideal of her time. The translucent and soft colour scheme enhance her beauty. Her arm guides the viewer directly to the pot, a symbol of her feminine condition or perhaps of an impending puja.
The artist has depicted most Hindu women in nauvari (9 yards) saris with its drape between the legs and tucked at the back. This type of draping is very common in the Konkan coast of India, particularly in Maharashtra and Goa, among fisherwomen or those working in the fields. In this particular portrait, she is wearing a light pink sari with a matching choli and no jewellery, uncommon of a Hindu married woman, unless she was a widow.
References: Gracias, Fátima, Faces of Colonial India: The Work of Goan Artist António Xavier Trindade (1870-1935), Panjim, Goa, Fundação Oriente, 2014.