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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1963.145
Title
Kamsa Sending Akrura to Fetch Krishna to Mathura (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/216555

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
17.46 x 22.86 cm (6 7/8 x 9 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Stuart Cary Welch, Jr.
Accession Year
1963
Object Number
1963.145
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The painting depicts Kamsa, the blue-skinned Hindu god Krishna’s uncle, requesting Akrura (literally, one who is not cruel) to fetch his nephew, Krishna and his elder half-brother Balarama from Vrindavan. The two young boys are destined to kill Kamsa, and hence, Kamsa asks Akrura to lure them to Mathura so that Kamsa can kill them. Also depicted is the following moment in the narrative, where Akrura leaves on his chariot to meet with Krishna and Balarama. The characters in the representation are identified by captions on the top of the folio, with ‘Akrura’ appearing twice above his figure. Kamsa’s palace is luxurious, with patterned textiles lining the throne and golden objects on the floor. A giant flag flutters over his palace. A royal attendant stands behind Kamsa, holding a fly-whisk. The text on the reverse recounts the verses from the Bhagavata Purana describing this episode.

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 1974.124, 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 36, verse 27 - verse 36.

Exhibition History

  • The Arts of Krishna Bhakti, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 03/09/1983 - 05/01/1983
  • Eyes to the East: Indian, Persian, and Turkish Art Given by Harvard Graduates, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/22/1990 - 11/25/1990
  • Where Traditions Meet: Painting in India from the 15th-17th Centuries, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/05/2003 - 12/07/2003
  • 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: 2) Sacred Sites: Nineteenth Century Photographs of Jerusalem, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 04/09/2009 - 08/02/2009

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