Akrura Drives Krishna and Balarama to Mathura, from the “Isarda Bhagavata Purana”

Description

A page from a Hindu manuscript shows the dark-skinned Krishna and his white-skinned brother leaving their companions in the cowherd village where they grew up. They are on their way to confront their evil uncle who killed their siblings and imprisoned their parents. Their gestures urgently indicate the direction of their journey. A preference for the color pink in the sky, chariot, and garments distinguishes this work from those of pre-Mughal creation.

Provenance

(N. V. Hammer, Inc., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1971); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1971–)

Akrura Drives Krishna and Balarama to Mathura, from the “Isarda Bhagavata Purana”

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c. 1560–70

Accession Number

1971.234

Medium

Gum tempera and ink on paper

Dimensions

Overall: 19.3 x 25.7 cm (7 5/8 x 10 1/8 in.); with mat: 36.3 x 49 cm (14 5/16 x 19 5/16 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund