The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 31, 2023

Krishna Stealing Curds

late 1700s

This object has related works. See Krishna Vanquishing the Crane-Demon Bakasura

Southern India, Andhra Pradesh, Tirupati

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Overall: 27.7 x 19.3 cm (10 7/8 x 7 5/8 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1966.28

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Krishna’s brother Balarama holds a snake, since he is an incarnation of Vishnu’s cosmic serpent.

Description

As a toddler growing up in a rural cowherding community, Krishna loved to eat the dairy products his parents attempted to keep out of his reach. With bold rounded contours and modeling, the blue-skinned Krishna totters precariously on a ladder, while his irate foster mother brandishes a stick at him.

Provenance
?–1966
(J.J. Klejman [1906–1995], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1966–
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1986. cat. no. 101i
Exhibition history

Indian Miniature Rotation (Gallery 115). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (August 13, 2003–February 18, 2004).

Life and Exploits of Krishna in Indian Paintings (Indian art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 1, 2021-February 6, 2022).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.28