Krishna Revels with the Gopis: Page from a Dispersed Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherds)
Unknown Artist
ca. 1630–40
Medium
Opaque watercolor and silver on paper
Dimensions
4 1/2 x 8 in. (11.4 x 20.3 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture
India (Madhya Pradesh, Malwa)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon B. Polsky Fund, 2003
Accession Number
2003.165
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate page from a dispersed Gita Govinda manuscript captures a joyful episode from the beloved 12th-century Sanskrit poem by Jayadeva. Created in Malwa, Madhya Pradesh around 1630–40, the painting illustrates Krishna’s playful revels with the gopis, the cowherd women who symbolize devoted love. Such illustrated manuscripts were popular in Rajput courts, where poetry and painting combined to express both romantic longing and spiritual devotion central to Hindu tradition. Executed in opaque watercolor with touches of silver on paper, the compact scene measures just 4½ by 8 inches. The a...