Krishna Vanquishing the Crane-Demon Bakasura
Unknown Artist
late 1700s
Medium
gum tempera and gold on paper
Dimensions
27.8 × 19.7 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1966.29
About this artwork
The Hindu god Vishnu incarnated himself as Krishna in response to pleadings from the Earth goddess to rid her of a wicked king. The king sent demons of many forms to assassinate Krishna, who effortlessly destroyed them. The South Indian artist effectively used a diagonal composition to show the cause and effect of Krishna’s assault and the fall of the defeated demon.