1995.75: Krishna, Radha, and the Gopis Meet a Young Prince

Identification and Creation

Object Number

1995.75

Title

Krishna, Radha, and the Gopis Meet a Young Prince

Classification

Paintings

Work Type

painting

Date

c. 1650

Places

Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Mewar

Culture

Indian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/310687

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; Rajput Style, Mewar School

Dimensions

21.7 x 19 cm (8 9/16 x 7 1/2 in.)
framed: 48.58 x 38.42 x 2.22 cm (19 1/8 x 15 1/8 x 7/8 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

• inscription: Language: Braj
  Script: Devanagari
  Rasamandala kirata racyo de gopi sikha dena radha sanga liye raskiana bhaye hari autaradhyana guna sagara rupa nidhana 13
  On the reverse, the number: 25
  Krishna arranged the rasa dance fr the pleasure of the gopis. He [Krishna], who is the ocean of virtue and of beauty, then disappeared.

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

Stuart Cary Welch (by 1969), sold; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1995.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift in gratitude to John Coolidge, Gift of Leslie Cheek, Jr., Anonymous Fund in memory of Henry Berg, Louise Haskell Daly, Alpheus Hyatt, Richard Norton Memorial Funds and through the generosity of Albert H. Gordon and Emily Rauh Pulitzer; formerly in the collection of Stuart Cary Welch, Jr.

Accession Year

1995

Object Number

1995.75

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

Within a large red circle with a yellow border is Krishna, the blue-skinned, eighth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu who is revered as a deity in his own right. He is crowned and bare-chested. His right arm is over his consort, Radha’s, shoulder. Behind them is a group of gopis (milkmaids). They all face a young prince, his royal status denoted by the large fan he carries. Below them are two female musicians one plays the symbols, while the other plays the mridagam, a type of drum. Rajput Style, Mewar School.

Publication History

• Stuart Cary Welch and Milo Cleveland Beach, Gods, Thrones, and Peacocks Northern Indian Painting from Two Traditions, exh. cat., Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (New York, NY, 1965), page 64/figure 14
• Elizabeth Finch, ed., Rajasthani Miniatures: The Welch Collection from the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, exh. cat., The Drawing Center (New York, NY, 1997), page 15

Exhibition History

• Indian Harvest: Part 1, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/30/1995 - 01/21/1996
• Rajasthani Miniatures: The Welch Collection at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, The Drawing Center, New York, 04/16/1997 - 06/07/1997
• Where Traditions Meet: Painting in India from the 15th-17th Centuries, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/05/2003 - 12/07/2003
• 32Q: 2590 South and Southeast Asia, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 03/20/2015; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 05/05/2022 - 10/31/2022

Subjects and Contexts

• Google Art Project
• Collection Highlights

Verification Level