Krishna Fluting
Unknown Artist
c. 1675–1700
Medium
Gum tempera on paper
Dimensions
page: 21.9 × 14.3 cm · miniature: 17.2 × 9.5 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
2018.157
About this artwork
Brilliantly set off against a flat red ground, Krishna’s blue body is the focus of the brown cow, lured to the god by the melody of his flute. Even the plantain and cypress trees seem to point in his direction. The figural style of the artists of this Rajput kingdom effortlessly shows the head turned in one direction, while the feet point the opposite way, contributing to Krishna’s superhuman appearance. Below, a herdsman struggles to manage a spotted cow in front of a temple with a linga, a sty...