Krishna Ferrying Radha Across the Yamuna River
Unknown Artist
c. 1890
Medium
Gum tempera, graphite, ink, and tin on paper
Dimensions
44.5 × 28.3 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward
Accession Number
2003.130
About this artwork
This image is taken from popular dramas where Krishna, lover of the cowgirls (gopis), disguises himself as a boatman to ferry a demure Radha, his favorite gopi. It depicts devotion and the intensity of separated lovers. The painting includes an image of another woman, dressed in white with shorn hair, possibly a widow. Krishna is portrayed as sporting a mustache and has a Prince Albert hairstyle.