Artwork Page for Shishupala arguing with Rukmini’s father, Bhishmaka, from a Rukmini Haran

Details / Information for Shishupala arguing with Rukmini’s father, Bhishmaka, from a Rukmini Haran

Shishupala arguing with Rukmini’s father, Bhishmaka, from a Rukmini Haran

c. 1800

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Measurements
Image: 21.6 x 30.5 cm (8 1/2 x 12 in.); Overall: 24.5 x 33 cm (9 5/8 x 13 in.)
Credit Line
Edwin R. and Harriet Pelton Perkins Memorial Fund 1984.66
Public Domain
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Location
242B Indian Painting
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Did You Know?

Paintings from this series came from the royal collection in the kingom of Garhwal.

Description

One painting from a series depicting stories from the life of the Hindu god Krishna, this scene shows a villain named Shishupala arguing with a king. The king, in purple, sits in front of an embroidered gold cushion. His daughter, Princess Rukmini, is engaged to marry Shishupala, whom she despises and calls a “thieving jackal.” Shishupala is angry, because he heard that Krishna is plotting to kidnap Rukmini and marry her himself. Courtiers look on with concern.

The artist shows awareness of Mughal costume, jewelry, and architectural forms, placing this mythological scene in a Mughal court setting.
A horizontal gum tempera and ink painting depicts a courtly scene. On our left, a man with a medium skin tone stands in a lush garden with flowering bushes. Inside a white pavilion on our right, a man in green gestures toward a seated man in purple. Three men sit on a floral rug, while a servant stands on the far right fanning them against a gray wall with small, dark niches.

Shishupala arguing with Rukmini’s father, Bhishmaka, from a Rukmini Haran

c. 1800

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

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