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Krishna Steals the Clothes of the Cowgirls (Gopis) (recto), from a Kalighat album

c. 1890

Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat

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Medium
Gum tempera, graphite, ink, and tin on paper
Measurements
Secondary Support: 48.5 x 29.9 cm (19 1/8 x 11 3/4 in.); Painting only: 45.5 x 28 cm (17 15/16 x 11 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward 2003.114.a
Public Domain
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Location
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Description

In this image taken from both popular accounts and the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna has stolen the clothes of cowgirls (gopis) who are bathing in the Yamuna River, a tributary of the Ganges River. He refuses to return their clothes, the purple saris seen hanging high in the tree, until they come out and bow to him with folded palms. Krishna, a cowherder, is holding a flute, which he uses to lure them away.
A vertically oriented tempera painting depicts the blue-skinned god Krishna perched in a tree with rounded green foliage. Wearing a yellow and red wrap, he holds a flute while maroon garments hang from branches. Below, two women with medium-light skin tones rise from a blue band of water, their hands raised toward him. On our left and right, they plead from the water, the scene set against a flat, tan background.

Krishna Steals the Clothes of the Cowgirls (Gopis) (recto), from a Kalighat album

c. 1890

Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat

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