The Birth of Krishna, from a Sursagar of Surdas (Indian, c. 1480–1580)
Unknown Artist
1705–10
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
37 × 25.4 cm · image: 33.6 × 22.2 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Edwin R. and Harriet Pelton Perkins Memorial Fund
Accession Number
1984.65
About this artwork
The blind poet and Hindu saint Surdas (1578/79–c. 1581), a devotee of Krishna, is shown in the hut at the lower right corner playing cymbals to measure meter as he recites his poem, called Sursagar. Verse 5 is written at the top of the page, and the scenes of festivities surrounding the arrival of the newborn Krishna are depicted throughout the rest of the painting. His adoptive mother Yashoda lies with the infant in the chamber at the upper left. His dark skin led to his being named Krishna, me...