The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 20, 2023

Krishna sporting with the gopis in the Jumna River, from a Bhagavata Purana

c. 1525–50

This object has related works. See The Marriage of Pradyumna and Rukmavati, page from a Bhagavata Purana; Nanda and the Elders, page from a Bhagavata Purana

Northern India

Gum tempera and ink on paper

Overall: 16.5 x 22.2 cm (6 1/2 x 8 3/4 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas 1971.171

Location

not on view

Description

This page is from one of the earliest surviving illustrated Hindu manuscripts from India. It belongs to an extensive series on the life of Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu. Shown here in blue, frolicking energetically with a bevy of young women from the cowherder village where he lived as a youth, Krishna is in the middle of the composition and the center of attention. Celestial musicians offer flower garlands and beat percussion instruments in the skies to accompany their passionate play. Lively gestures and bold patterning of the water lend to the exuberance of the scene.

Inscriptions

Inscription

verso, upper right: Hirabai

Provenance
Sandor L. Feldman, Washington, DC
?–1971
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1971–
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. 8ii
Exhibition history

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

Indian Miniature Rotation (Gallery 115). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (August 18, 2004-May 23, 2005).

The Cleveland Tuti-Nama Manuscript and the Origins of Mughal Painting. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9-December 19, 1976); The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art, Chicago, IL (January 12-February 27, 1977).

Dance of the Gods: Indian Art Inspired by Music. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-December 8, 1996).

Supernatural Love - Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 1-September 9, 2019).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1971.171