# Augury of the crow (Vasakasajja Nayika)

- Date: c. 1800
- Medium: Gum tempera and gold on paper
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: Overall: 21.4 x 14.5 cm (8 7/16 x 5 11/16 in.)
- Culture: Northern India, Pahari kingdoms
- Credit line: Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1989.337)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/cma/1989.337/1989.337_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Kids profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

The heroine in the doorway waits for her husband to return, but he is delayed, and ominous monsoon clouds gather in the distance. The pomegranate tree in her garden has ripe fruits full of seeds and bright red juices, suggestive of her fertility, but a crow is perched in the branches. The sound of a crow’s voice is an unlucky omen, and this further elevates her anxiety.

A king of Kangra owned this painting, and the buildings of one of Kangra’s forts sits in the distance. In this way, the artist has brought an image known from classical poetry to a recognizable locale.