This image by Ravi Varma departs from his Vedic and mythological subjects, depicting Vasantasena, the fictional heroine of Mṛcchakatika (The Little Clay Cart), an early secular Sanskrit drama said to be written by Śūdraka between the second and fifth centuries CE. In the play, Vasantasena is a wealthy courtesan who falls in love with Charudatta, a nobleman reduced to poverty. Their romance unfolds against a backdrop of social disparity, exploring themes of love, virtue and justice. Vasantasena is depicted as bold, resourceful and independent – uncommon traits for female protagonists in early Indian literature. In Ravi Varma’s interpretation, she is shown on a baithak (floor seat), wearing a richly draped silk odhni in the Maharashtrian style, suggesting both regional identity and affluence. The oleograph is closely based on a painting by Ravi Varma, titled Bombay Singer 1893.