Nanda Solves Vasudeva’s Dilemma, from a Bhagavata Purana
Unknown Artist
c. 1610
Medium
Gum tempera and gold on paper
Dimensions
24.8 × 29.9 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Kalesan Natesan in honor of Dr. Stanislaw Czuma
Accession Number
2013.365
About this artwork
Three cowherd boys stand behind their village elder Nanda, who agrees to hide the newborn Krishna, an incarnation of a Hindu god. At the left is Krishna’s father, Vasudeva, who has made this request in order to protect the child from slaughter by the despotic king, who had heard a prophecy that Krishna would one day kill him. This painting is from a series depicting scenes from a sacred Hindu text and was part of the royal Bikaner collection. The simple, geometric composition, profile views, and...