Artwork Page for Krishna being dressed in women’s clothes for the spring festival Holi

Details / Information for Krishna being dressed in women’s clothes for the spring festival Holi

Krishna being dressed in women’s clothes for the spring festival Holi

c. 1790

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

Medium
Ink and gum tempera on paper
Measurements
Overall: 19 x 27.4 cm (7 1/2 x 10 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1933.453
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
242B Indian Painting
ArtLens App
Print
?

Did You Know?

A few preliminary patches of color in the foreground indicate the palette intended to be applied to the entire painting.

Description

The Hindu festival of Holi, which celebrates the arrival of spring, is a time of play that encourages reckless joy and abandon. The women cheekily dress Krishna as one of them. Radha, his beloved, takes away his crown and flute.

This unfinished work reveals the process of creating an Indian painting. An experienced member of the atelier would have made the drawing and written the color notations before giving it to a colorist to paint.
A horizontally oriented ink and gum tempera painting depicts numerous figures with light skin tones under a thin canopy. Centrally, women attend to Krishna, while others play drums and toss pink powder. In the foreground, large basins hold yellow and red liquid. Most figures and objects are marked with small black script labels. The scene features fine black outlines on aged paper with sparse highlights of pink, yellow, and red.

Krishna being dressed in women’s clothes for the spring festival Holi

c. 1790

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork