The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 13, 2025
Nanda Solves Vasudeva’s Dilemma, from a Bhagavata Purana
c. 1610
Sheet: 24.8 x 29.9 cm (9 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.)
Location: Not on view
Description
Three cowherd boys stand behind their village elder Nanda, who agrees to hide the newborn Krishna, an incarnation of a Hindu god. At the left is Krishna’s father, Vasudeva, who has made this request in order to protect the child from slaughter by the despotic king, who had heard a prophecy that Krishna would one day kill him.This painting is from a series depicting scenes from a sacred Hindu text and was part of the royal Bikaner collection. The simple, geometric composition, profile views, and flat planes of color show adherence to long-standing local artistic styles.
- collection of Christine Koeberl, from Zoog, Switzerland, near Zurich, since its purchase in 1962
- Paintings of Bikaner – Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 7, 2019-April 5, 2020).
- {{cite web|title=Nanda Solves Vasudeva’s Dilemma, from a Bhagavata Purana|url=false|author=|year=c. 1610|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.365