The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Krishna's Longing for Radha, from the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva

Krishna's Longing for Radha, from the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva

c. 1820–1825
Gum tempera and gold on paper
Image: 24.1 x 32.4 cm (9 1/2 x 12 3/4 in.); with mat: 40.6 x 53.2 cm (16 x 20 15/16 in.); with borders: 25.6 x 33.8 cm (10 1/16 x 13 5/16 in.)
Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin 1989.333
Location: not on view

Description

In the lush forests on the banks of India’s Yamuna River, the youthful god Krishna waits to rendezvous with his beloved Radha. The artist has rendered his impatience by showing seven Krishnas, in various attitudes of anxious waiting, as though seeing him over a period of time. Meanwhile Radha, dressed in yellow at top right, confers seemingly endlessly with her confidante, as she tries to decide whether she should meet Krishna for the illicit tryst—she is already married and Krishna is prone to flirting with other girls. This scene is a metaphor for how god waits for us to come to him, while the human devotee frets about the bonds of social norms.
  • Raja of Lambagraon
    Severance and Greta Millikin, Cleveland
    Raja of Lambagraon; (Mr. B. R. Sharma, New Delhi); Severance and Greta Millikin, Cleveland
  • Tōyō kaiga no seika: tokubetsuten: Kurīvurando Bijutsukan no korekushon kara [東洋絵画の精華: 特别展: クリーヴラント美術館のコレクションから= Highlights of Asian painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art]. Nara, Japan: Nara National Museum, 1998. Reproduced: p. 36, no. 15
  • Nara National Museum, Japan (2/21-3/29/98); Suntory Museum of Art, Tokyo (4/28-6/21/98) "Highlights of Asian Painting from The Cleveland Museum of Art" p. 36, cat. no. 15
    Supernatural Love - Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 1-September 9, 2019).
    Artlens Exhibition 2017. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24, 2017-May 29, 2019).
    Indian Miniature Rotation (Gallery 115); February 20 - August 18, 2004.
    Indian Miniature Rotation (Gallery 115); February 4 - August 5, 2003.
    Highlights of Asian Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Nara National Museum (organizer) (February 21-March 29, 1998); Suntory Museum of Art (April 28-June 21, 1998).
    The Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 5-September 2, 1990).
    Cleveland Museum of Art, "The Severance and Greta Millikin Collection," July 5-September 2, 1990: no. 157.
  • {{cite web|title=Krishna's Longing for Radha, from the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva|url=false|author=|year=c. 1820–1825|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1989.333