Krishna and Satyabhama Storm the Citadel of Naraka, folio 97 from a Bhagavata Purana
Unknown Artist
c. 1775
Medium
Gum tempera and ink on paper
Dimensions
painting only: 32.2 × 51.5 cm · paper: 55.5 × 36.2 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
2022.45
About this artwork
From a series depicting the life of Krishna, an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, this scene takes place at the demon king Naraka’s citadel. Seen from above, the mountaintop fortress is surrounded by concentric fortifications that recall the format of a mandala. In the upper left chambers, Naraka sits with nymphs he abducted from heaven. At the right, coming to rescue them, the blue Krishna with his wife blasts through the fortifications on his man-eagle mount Garuda. He prepares to shoot a c...