Rasalila

Currently not on view

Rasalila

c. 1525-1540

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

The flute-playing god Krishna stands in the center of a circle of gopis, the wives and daughters of his cowherd companions. This is perhaps the earliest painted representation of the rasalila (play of passion). The gopis are madly in love with Krishna, who asks them to form a circle and join him in song and dance. At first he stands in the center, playing his flute and dancing until they are all under the sway of his irresistible charms. Then, to satisfy the desires of every woman, Krishna magically multiplies himself so that each thinks she alone enjoys his embrace. The magical, circular dance of the rasalila is a metaphor for the human soul's union with the divine.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Rasalila
Page from a dispersed series of the Bhagavata Purana

Date:

c. 1525-1540

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 5 3/4 × 8 1/2 inches (14.6 × 21.6 cm) Sheet: 6 7/8 × 9 inches (17.5 × 22.9 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

125th Anniversary Acquisition. Alvin O. Bellak Collection, 2004

Accession Number:

2004-149-7

Geography:

Made in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-Agra Region, India, Asia

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Currently not on view