Krishna sporting with the gopis in the Jumna River, from a Bhagavata Purana
Unknown Artist
c. 1525–40
Medium
Gum tempera and ink on paper
Dimensions
16.5 × 22.2 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas
Accession Number
1971.171
About this artwork
Abstract concentric circles depict water churned up by the gopis, or cowherd women, who are swimming and playing with joy and abandon. In their midst, the blue-skinned Krishna reaches for a gopi’s breast. Their love play is celebrated by celestial beings in the sky who offer flower garlands and beat on a drum. Every figure’s face is shown in profile—a hallmark of Indian painting of the early 1500s perpetuated by artists wishing to emphasize Indian rather than Persian depictions of the human form...