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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
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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

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