Krishna sporting with the gopis in the Jumna River, from a Bhagavata Purana

Description

Abstract concentric circles depict water churned up by the gopis, or cowherd women, who are swimming and playing with joy and abandon. In their midst, the blue-skinned Krishna reaches for a gopi’s breast. Their love play is celebrated by celestial beings in the sky who offer flower garlands and beat on a drum. Every figure’s face is shown in profile—a hallmark of Indian painting of the early 1500s perpetuated by artists wishing to emphasize Indian rather than Persian depictions of the human form.

Provenance

Sandor L. Feldman, Washington, DC; Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1971); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1971–)

Krishna sporting with the gopis in the Jumna River, from a Bhagavata Purana

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c. 1525–40

Accession Number

1971.171

Medium

Gum tempera and ink on paper

Dimensions

Overall: 16.5 x 22.2 cm (6 1/2 x 8 3/4 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas