The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
Krishna asks for sweets, from a Sursagar of Surdas (Indian, c. 1480–1580)
1705–10
Overall: 36.5 x 25.4 cm (14 3/8 x 10 in.)
Gift of Dr. Norman Zaworski 1984.172
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
In the hut at the lower left sits the blind poet, author of the verse at the top of the page.Description
The heart of the scene is at the lower right, where the blue Hindu god Krishna as a boy is trying to persuade his foster mother Yashoda to give him more food. He is in the process of telling her that he needs extra treats so he can grow big to accomplish all the exploits depicted in the remainder of the page: herding cattle, killing demons, defeating wrestlers, and finally winning the throne of Mathura, as seen in the upper right where he sits crowned king in place of his evil uncle Kamsa.- ?–1984Dr. Norman Zaworski [1920–2013], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art1984–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1984.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 72, no. 2 (April 1985): 163–207.
Published as: Krishna as the Destroyer of Demons Mentioned: p. 206, no. 166; Reproduced: p. 183 www.jstor.orgDiamond, Debra, and Dipti Khera, eds. A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur. Munich, Germany: Hirmer Publishers; Washington, D.C.: National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, 2022. Reproduced: No. 58, p. 241; Mentioned: pp. 234, 244–245, 346. - Sacred India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5, 1985-January 12, 1986).Year in Review for 1984. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 3-May 5, 1985).
- {{cite web|title=Krishna asks for sweets, from a Sursagar of Surdas (Indian, c. 1480–1580)|url=false|author=|year=1705–10|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1984.172