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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1974.124
Title
The Cowgirls Attend Krishna (painting, recto; text, verso), folio from a Bhagavata Purana series
Other Titles
Series/Book Title: The 'Dispersed' Bhagavata Purana Series; also known as the 'Palam' Bhagavata Purana or 'Sa Mitharam - Sa Nana' Bhagavata Purana.
Classification
Manuscripts
Work Type
manuscript folio
Date
c. 1520 - 1540
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-Agra region
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216409

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink and opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
17.5 x 23.5 cm (6 7/8 x 9 1/4 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bienstock
Accession Year
1974
Object Number
1974.124
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
In this folio, the blue-skinned Krishna sits below a tree, surrounded by his female admirers, the Gopis. The gopis look at Krishna adoringly; in the adoration of Krishna lies the attainment of the ultimate fulfillment of their souls. Such themes were popular in the bhakti movement, which promoted unconditional love towards the divine, and here, the gopis show their love for Krishna by touching his arms and limbs. Rati, the wife of Kama (the Hindu god of erotic love, desire, pleasure, and beauty), pictured on the top-right of the folio, joins in by showering an arrow of love over the assembly.

This painting belongs to the 'Dispersed' Bhagavata Purana series, produced in the early 16th century, possibly in Mathura. The series, possibly consisting of 360 such folios, is based on the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana, which describes the story of Krishna, particularly his childhood and youth. This series was one of South Asia's earliest illustrated Bhagavata Purana manuscripts. Each illustration is also accompanied by the text corresponding to the image on the reverse, written in Sanskrit. Other folios from the same Bhagavata Purana series in the Harvard Art Museum’s collection are objects 1963.145, 1974.125, 1974.126, 1974.127, 1992.283, 1995.66, 1995.67, 1995.68. Caurapancasika-group style.

Text on Verso: Bhagavata Purana, Book Ten, Chapter 32, verses 10- chapter 33, verse 1.

Exhibition History

  • Pavilions of Love: A Ritual Space in Indian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 05/10/2007 - 09/23/2007
  • Re-View: Arts of India & the Islamic Lands, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 04/26/2008 - 06/01/2013
  • Re-View: S231 (Islamic rotation: 3) Sacred Spaces: The World of Dervishes, Fakirs and Sufis, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 08/06/2009 - 01/03/2010

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu