1991.177: Krishna Swallows the Forest Fire (painting, recto), possibly an illustration from the Bhagavata Purana

Identification and Creation

Object Number

1991.177

Title

Krishna Swallows the Forest Fire (painting, recto), possibly an illustration from the Bhagavata Purana

Classification

Paintings

Work Type

painting

Date

c. 1730

Places

Creation Place: South Asia, India, Kashmir, Basohli

Culture

Indian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/310732

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Opaque watercolor and metallic pigment on paper

Dimensions

actual: 28.5 x 23 cm (11 1/4 x 9 1/16 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Suzanne and Frederic Weinstein in memory of Eleanor Dodge Barton and Marjorie R. Hubbard

Accession Year

1991

Object Number

1991.177

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Description

The painting depicts the blue-skinned Hindu god Krishna in profile and swallowing large flames. His arms are outstretched, and he wears a crown topped with three lotuses. According to the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana, the young Krishna and his elder half-brother, Balarama, are separated from the rest of the cowherd and their cows, who enter deep into the forest in search of fresh grass. Suddenly, they are encircled by a large and violent fire, with no means to escape. They call out to Krishna for help, and the deity rushes over and swallows up all of the flames, saving them. While many depictions of the scene portray Krishna, the cowherds, and the animals within a fiery landscape, the artist here has chosen to depict Krishna alone to dramatize the moment when he manifests his divine power. Rajput, Pahari, Basohli School.

Publication History

• Steven Kossak, Indian Court Painting, 16th-19th Century, exh. cat., Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (New York, NY, 1997), Page 85/Figure 49
• James Cuno, ed., A Decade of Collecting: Recent Acquisitions by the Harvard University Art Museums, Harvard University Art Museums (Cambridge, Mass., Spring 2000), p. 38

Exhibition History

• Hot as Curry - Subtle as Moonlight: Masterpieces of Rajput Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/02/1991 - 12/20/1991
• From India's Hills and Plains: Rajput Painting from the Punjab and Rajasthan, 17th through 19th Centuries, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/04/1993 - 10/31/1993
• Indian Court Painting: 16th-19th Century, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 03/24/1997 - 07/06/1997
• A Decade of Collecting: Recent Acquisitions of Islamic and Later Indian Art, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 06/08/2000 - 09/03/2000
• 32Q: 2590 South and Southeast Asia, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/19/2018 - 11/07/2018
• A Colloquium in the Visual Arts , Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/04/2021 - 01/02/2022

Verification Level