Vishnu Battles Madhu and Kaitabha, from a Markandeya Purana
Unknown Artist
c. 1760
Medium
Gum tempera on paper
Dimensions
20.2 × 29.2 cm · image: 16.7 × 25.8 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1974.46
About this artwork
This scene from a Hindu text is set during the moments before the creation of the world. The four-armed god Vishnu has just awakened on his multiheaded serpent bed that floats on the cosmic ocean of milk. Two demons generated from his earwax, according to the text, have already begun a primordial battle between good and evil. In the foothills of the western Himalayas there were numerous small kingdoms governed by rulers who paid tribute to the Mughal emperor. The rulers of these Pahari kingdoms,...