Krishna Exacts a Toll from the Milkmaids: Dana-Lila, from a Bhagavata Purana
Unknown Artist
c. 1600
Medium
gum tempera and gold on paper
Dimensions
page: 21.6 × 29.2 cm · miniature: 17.1 × 24.4 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2018.186
About this artwork
Krishna can be seen here teasing the girls who bring pots of milk and yogurt to the Brahmin priests. Thinking it a waste of time to feed the Brahmins, Krishna waylays them, pretending to be the owner of the land where they are walking. He threatens to topple their pots if they don’t pay him a toll. An exasperated cow herder follows.