Artwork Page for Krishna sporting with the gopis in the Jumna River, from a Bhagavata Purana

Details / Information for Krishna sporting with the gopis in the Jumna River, from a Bhagavata Purana

Krishna sporting with the gopis in the Jumna River, from a Bhagavata Purana

c. 1525–40
This object has related works. See

Northern India

Medium
Gum tempera and ink on paper
Measurements
Overall: 16.5 x 22.2 cm (6 1/2 x 8 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas 1971.171
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
Print
?

Did You Know?

This page is from one of the earliest surviving illustrated Hindu manuscripts on the life of Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu.

Description

Abstract concentric circles depict water churned up by the gopis, or cowherd women, who are swimming and playing with joy and abandon. In their midst, the blue-skinned Krishna reaches for a gopi’s breast. Their love play is celebrated by celestial beings in the sky who offer flower garlands and beat on a drum. Every figure’s face is shown in profile—a hallmark of Indian painting of the early 1500s perpetuated by artists wishing to emphasize Indian rather than Persian depictions of the human form.
Horizontally oriented manuscript page depicting women, all in profile, with light to medium skin tones surrounding the blue-skinned god, Krishna, among a dark blue background with white, concentric circles suggesting water. Above, in red boxes against a light blue sky, woman-like beings lower red and white garlands into the water, one beating on a drum. The brown edges of the paper are jagged with many of the faces of the women worn away.

Krishna sporting with the gopis in the Jumna River, from a Bhagavata Purana

c. 1525–40

Northern India

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 email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

    To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

    All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.