Krishna dancing: page from the dispersed "Boston" Rasikapriya by Keshava Dasa (Lover’s breviary)

Unknown (Indian)


Item type:
painting
Date of creation:
ca. 1610
Height:
22.9 cm  (9 in.)
Width:
14.3 cm  (5 5/8 in.)
(page dimensions)
Technique / Medium:
ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Place of creation:
Āmer (Rājasthān, Bhārat)

    Item location

  • Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
    Rogers Fund, 1918[Museum inv. no.: 18.85.5a]Item is part of the collaboration project between Association RIdIM and the Performing Arts Index, The Metroplitan Museum of Art

Description

On this side of the detached two-sided breviary sheet, Krishna is in the center playing flute (bansuri) and dancing among peacocks; at the left side of Krishna are two male figures, one playing barrel drum (pakhawaj), the other hand cymbals (manjira); at the right side are two female figures dancing.

Iconclass

12H13(KRISHNA)51
Krishna playing the flute, surrounded by dancing maidens

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Basuri [3900]
Pakhavaj [2703]
Manjira [2478]

RIdIM images


Image URLs

image link 1
See second image

Bibliographic references

Kossak, Steven. Indian court painting, 16th–19th century (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art; London: Thames and Hudson, 1997) 43, cat. no. 15.

Notes

According to the curator’s note from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the illumination is influenced by Mughal art.

RIdIM record id

3803

Data provider