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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2009.202.221
Title
Krishna Dancing with the Gopis, Illustration from a Gita Govinda (Songs of the Lord) series
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
dated 1799
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Himachal Pradesh, Kulu
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216539

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; Pahari Style
Dimensions
19.7 x 24.7 cm (7 3/4 x 9 3/4 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • Signed: Series dated 1799

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Stuart Cary Welch (by 1983 - 2008,) by descent; to his estate (2008-2009,) gift; to Harvard Art Museum.

Notes:
Object was part of long-term loan to Museum in 1983.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Gift of Edith I. Welch in memory of Stuart Cary Welch
Accession Year
2009
Object Number
2009.202.221
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
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 tanpura, 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.

Exhibition History

  • Out of the Hills: Miniature Painting from Himalayan India, Harvard University Art Museums, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 05/26/1984 - 07/08/1984
  • The Music Room, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/22/1984 - 11/11/1984
  • 32Q: 2590 South and Southeast Asia, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 05/05/2022 - 10/31/2022

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be 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