Krishna's Longing for Radha, from the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva

Description

In the lush forests on the banks of India’s Yamuna River, the youthful god Krishna waits to rendezvous with his beloved Radha. The artist has rendered his impatience by showing seven Krishnas, in various attitudes of anxious waiting, as though seeing him over a period of time. Meanwhile Radha, dressed in yellow at top right, confers seemingly endlessly with her confidante, as she tries to decide whether she should meet Krishna for the illicit tryst—she is already married and Krishna is prone to flirting with other girls. This scene is a metaphor for how god waits for us to come to him, while the human devotee frets about the bonds of social norms.

Provenance

Raja of Lambagraon; (Mr. B. R. Sharma, New Delhi, India); Severance A. [1895–1985] and Greta [Marguerite Steckerl] Millikin [1903–1989], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1989); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1989–)

Krishna's Longing for Radha, from the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva

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c. 1820–25

Accession Number

1989.333

Medium

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Dimensions

Image: 24.1 x 32.4 cm (9 1/2 x 12 3/4 in.); with mat: 40.6 x 53.2 cm (16 x 20 15/16 in.); with borders: 25.6 x 33.8 cm (10 1/16 x 13 5/16 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin