The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 23, 2024
Sacred Cows
1947
manufacturer
(American)
Average: 95.2 x 104.8 cm (37 1/2 x 41 1/4 in.)
Location: not on view
Description
Printed in 1947, the Sacred Cow pattern, developed by one of America’s foremost designers of fine fabrics, seems to pay homage to India’s hard-won independence from Great Britain the same year. The adoring demeanor of the animals, all facing the same direction, references the cows who are drawn to the magnetic divinity Krishna, who grew up among herdsmen. Devotees are enjoined to follow him, like the cows do, unquestioningly and joyfully.The choice of yellow as the dominant color recalls Indian yellow, a pigment developed in India for paintings and murals and coveted among artists in Europe under the name piuri. Ironically, the process of making Indian yellow—derived from the urine of cows fed only mango leaves—is toxic, and this object’s title refers to an English expression that suggests an unreasonable devotion to cows in the religion and art of India.
- ?–1948The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art1948–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Krishna and the Path of Grace – Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 14, 2020-March 7, 2021).Design in Printed Textiles. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 7-September 3, 1961).
- {{cite web|title=Sacred Cows|url=false|author=Brooke Cadwallader, Inc.|year=1947|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1948.312