Krishna dancing with the Gopis, illustration from a Gita Govinda (Songs of the Lord) series

Unknown (Indian)

Item type:

painting

Date of creation:

1799

Height:

19.7 cm  (7 3/4 in.)

Width:

24.7 cm  (9 3/4 in.)

Technique / Medium:

opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Place of creation:

Kulu (Himāchal Pradesh, Bhārat)

School:

Pahari

Description

Description from museum website:
At the center of this painting is Krishna, the eighth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu who is worshipped as a deity in his own right. He wears a large crown with a large plume and is also adorned with jewelry. He is encircled by a group of dancing gopis, or milkmaids. Flanking them are musicians, three on the left and two on the right. The group on the left consists of a male musician who keeps the music’s rhythm with a large stick, a female musician playing a stringed instrument known as a tambura, and another female musician playing tabla, a type of drum. On the right are two female musicians, one playing the cymbals and the other playing a bowed, stringed instrument known as a sarangi. Pahari style.

Iconclass

12H13(KRISHNA)5
non-aggressive, friendly or neutral activities and relationships of Krishna
43C94
group dancing
48CC753
more than one musician with instrument - CC - 'concert champêtre'

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Tambura [3461]
Tabla [2899]
Manjira [2478]
Sarangi [3204]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

Notes

Pahari style.
Inscriptions and marks from museum website:
Signed: Series dated 1799

RIdIM record id

5774