Contemporary studies in sexuality have increasingly focused on social construction of identities and categories, emphasising the influence of gender, power and political-economic dimensions (Parker & Aggleton). While studies in Indian erotic literature do shed light on gender roles, literary motifs and artistic appreciation of erotic literature, they under examine the role of material culture, mainly cosmetics, in the process. Instead, cosmetics have been studied as a subject of everyday life, detached from the innate connection it shares with sexuality. In ancient Arab societies, for instance, the use of perfumes is intricately tied to the aspect of eroticism (Hirsch), also to be noticed in Rabbinic texts that deal with women’s use of cosmetics in ancient Judaism (Labovitz).

Such academic scholarship is yet to develop on India, possessing a rich erotic literary tradition where application of pastes with designs on bodies of both men and women served as acts of sexuality and tools of seduction. This paper addresses these gaps by examining the neglected relation between sexuality and material culture of cosmetics, specifically focusing on body pastes such as sandalwood, musk, henna, and camphor and their designs in the early Indian literary traditions of Sanskrit and Tamil.

By employing an interdisciplinary conceptual framework grounded in material culture studies and comparative analysis, this paper questions: What functions did cosmetics serve in erotic contexts in Early Indian Literature? What role did they play in construction of gender roles and sexuality? Through a vast corpus of early erotic and love poetry in Sanskrit and Tamil, this paper finds gendered and regional variations in application of the same pastes and designs between these literary traditions situated in acts of sexuality, where the very act of application became a tool of seduction. For instance, sandalwood paste on female bodies was eroticised in Sanskrit poetry while application of the same paste on male bodies by females became an act of seduction in Tamil poetry.

This paper contributes to the field of comparative literature by bridging the gap in scholarship between sexuality and material culture of cosmetics. It demonstrates that cosmetics’ usage showed considerable change across ancient India that was reflected directly in erotic literature, for it played an important role in sexuality. Secondly, the material culture of cosmetics corresponds directly with the culture of clothing that in turn, corresponds to the socio-religious norms of the changing society, signalling a complex relationship between material culture of clothing, sexuality, gender and social acceptability.

By situating cosmetics within the broader context of Indian erotic literature, these findings serve implications to fields of literature, gender and cultural studies, offering a deeper understanding of how material culture shapes and reflects cultural attitudes towards gender and sexuality.

The paintings of Late Qing Lingnan artists Ju Chao (居巢) and Ju Lian (居廉) have garnered attention from art historians due to their extensive engagement with regional subjects and their meticulous, realistic style. However, their active participation in Lingnan's intellectual and literary circles, along with their poetic works and interactions with their paintings, has yet to be thoroughly examined. This paper focuses on the cross-media interaction between their poetry and paintings, seeking to reassess the material culture of Late Qing Lingnan. It explores their works depicting Lingnan's regional characteristics from three cultural levels: first, as regional knowledge from the southern frontier of the empire; second, as part of the Eastern world in a foreign trade port; and third, as scenes of daily life within the local community. This paper begins with their pursuit of likeness and realism in art, restoring the historical context of their perceptual engagement with the material world. Secondly, the paper investigates the innovative significance of 'food' as a motif in their paintings, exploring its role in everyday life and its contribution to the cultural strategy Lingnan painters adopted during early globalization. In conclusion, this paper seeks to position Ju Chao and Ju Lian's artistic creations within an increasingly complex and fragmented cultural context, offering a new understanding of the local perspectives and potential embedded in their painting styles and orientations.