Krishna asks for sweets, from a Sursagar of Surdas (Indian, c. 1480–1580)

Description

The heart of the scene is at the lower right, where the blue Hindu god Krishna as a boy is trying to persuade his foster mother Yashoda to give him more food. He is in the process of telling her that he needs extra treats so he can grow big to accomplish all the exploits depicted in the remainder of the page: herding cattle, killing demons, defeating wrestlers, and finally winning the throne of Mathura, as seen in the upper right where he sits crowned king in place of his evil uncle Kamsa.

Provenance

Dr. Norman Zaworski [1920–2013], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1984); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1984–)

Krishna asks for sweets, from a Sursagar of Surdas (Indian, c. 1480–1580)

[]

1705–10

Accession Number

1984.172

Medium

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Dimensions

Overall: 36.5 x 25.4 cm (14 3/8 x 10 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Dr. Norman Zaworski