A Ruler Seated on a Terrace Worshipping at a Shrine of Radha and Krishna

c. 1800

Central India, Madhya Pradesh

Medium

Measurements

25.1 x 20 cm (9 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.135

You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Both figures have rosaries of rudraksha beads usually worn by followers of Shiva, instead of Krishna.

Description

A noble clad in a black woolen shawl and a red turban, both with delicate floral embroidery, kneels before a small shrine with icons of Krishna fluting alongside his lover Radha. An attendant dressed in white holds a fly whisk that denotes the kneeling figure’s royal status. The black sky with light horizon suggests that the sun has recently set. In spite of the individualized facial features, this noble remains unidentified.