Krishna Raises Mount Govardhana

Currently not on view

Krishna Raises Mount Govardhana

c. 1800

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

This image of Krishna raising the mountain to shelter the villagers conveys a very different mood from other paintings of the subject. Rather than glorying in the details of the narrative, the painter creates an icon of Krishna the god, whose serenely raised left hand does not even touch the great pink mountain it ostensibly supports. Only the worried cowherds, running to help with their herding staffs, lend any drama to this solemn adoration of the deity. With its flat and simple composition, colorful cows, and preponderance of bright orange and pink, this illustration is clearly related to paintings from the Gujarati Bhagavata Purana of about 1720 also in the Museum's collection. However, the size of the page, format of the border, and details show that it is from a different series, and the clothing indicates a somewhat later date.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Krishna Raises Mount Govardhana
Page from a dispersed series of the Bhagavata Purana

Date:

c. 1800

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 9 1/2 × 7 3/8 inches (24.1 × 18.7 cm) Sheet: 10 9/16 × 9 inches (26.8 × 22.9 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Stella Kramrisch Collection, 1994

Accession Number:

1994-148-468

Geography:

Made in Surat, Gujarat, India, Asia Possibly made in Gujarat, Kathiawar, India, Asia

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Currently not on view