The Demon Samvara Kidnaps Krishna's Infant Son, Pradyumna

Gallery 327, Asian Art, third floor (Wood Gallery)

Main Building

The Demon Samvara Kidnaps Krishna's Infant Son, Pradyumna

c. 1760-1765

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

After winning the battle for Mathura, Krishna takes the beautiful Rukmini as his queen-but Krishna's adventures are far from over. Soon Rukmini gives birth to a baby boy named Pradyumna. A prophecy has foretold that when the child grows to manhood he will kill the demon Samvara. Samvara learns of the birth and flies to Krishna's palace. The rest of this episode tells of Pradyumna's rescue, his secret rearing inside the demon's palace, and his eventual fulfillment of the prophecy. This painting shows the moment after the abduction. Rukmini, still in the cloth headband worn during delivery, sits among the stunned palace women as Samvara soars through the air holding Pradyumna.

Gallery 327, Asian Art, third floor (Wood Gallery)

Object Details

Title:

The Demon Samvara Kidnaps Krishna's Infant Son, Pradyumna
Page from a dispersed series of the Bhagavata Purana (10:55)

Date:

c. 1760-1765

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor, gold, and silver-colored paint on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 11 1/16 × 14 7/8 inches (28.1 × 37.8 cm) Sheet: 12 × 16 inches (30.5 × 40.6 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

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

Accession Number:

2004-149-72

Geography:

Made in Basohli, Jammu and Kashmir, India, Asia

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Gallery 327, Asian Art, third floor (Wood Gallery)

Main Building

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