Artwork Page for A Serpent Protects Vasudeva Taking His Infant Son Krishna to Safety

Details / Information for A Serpent Protects Vasudeva Taking His Infant Son Krishna to Safety

A Serpent Protects Vasudeva Taking His Infant Son Krishna to Safety

c. 1890

Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat

Medium
Gum tempera, graphite, ink, and tin on paper
Measurements
Painting only: 45 x 27.7 cm (17 11/16 x 10 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward 2003.153
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

In the lower right, the name Vasudeva is written in the Bengali dialect as “Bashoodeva.”

Description

In the dead of night, Krishna was born to parents who were imprisoned by his evil uncle, the usurper King Kamsa. While a goddess compelled the guards to sleep, Krishna’s father, Vasudeva, in the middle of a storm, spirited the newborn to safety in a cowherd village, where he exchanged Krishna for another infant. In the morning, Kamsa murdered the infant he thought was the child of Vasudeva, and Krishna lived to be raised by the herders.
A vertically oriented gum tempera and graphite painting depicts a yellow-skinned Vasudeva, head shaved, cradling the blue infant Krishna horizontally. A massive, arching blue serpent looms over the pair from our right. Vasudeva wears a white waist cloth and a red-and-white striped shawl draped over his arms. Bold black outlines and smooth, shaded color define the figures against a fragmented beige background. Cursive script in the lower right reads "Bashoodeva."

A Serpent Protects Vasudeva Taking His Infant Son Krishna to Safety

c. 1890

Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat

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