The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Nanda and the Elders in Council with the Cowherds, from a Bhagavata Purana

c. 1690–1700

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Bikaner

Gum tempera, silver, and gold on paper
Page: 30 x 38 cm (11 13/16 x 14 15/16 in.); Miniature: 22.5 x 31.1 cm (8 7/8 x 12 1/4 in.)
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.192
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Each of the cowherd boys wears a different color hood.

Description

The glowing hues and exquisite treatment of the figures and vegetation transport the viewer to the mythic realm of the Hindu god Krishna. Nanda, the lead elder of the cowherder village, sits amid the village council, larger than the others. After witnessing the divine and superhuman activities of Krishna, the cowherders approached Nanda and asked him for an explanation.
  • ?–2018
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Barbara Timmer, Beverly Hills, CA, partial sale and gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2018–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Paintings of Bikaner – Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 7, 2019-April 5, 2020).
  • {{cite web|title=Nanda and the Elders in Council with the Cowherds, from a Bhagavata Purana|url=false|author=|year=c. 1690–1700|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.192