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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1995.119
Title
Krishna and Balarama in the Clutches of Kamsa's Wrestler (painting, recto), folio from a Bhagavata Purana series
Other Titles
Series/Book Title: Known as the ‘Tula Ram’ Bhagavata Purana series
Classification
Manuscripts
Work Type
manuscript folio
Date
17th century
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Gujarat
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/312003

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
25.7 × 22.4 cm (10 1/8 × 8 13/16 in.)
frame: 48.6 × 38.4 × 2.5 cm (19 1/8 × 15 1/8 × 1 in.)

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
1995.119
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The folio depicts blue-skinned Hindu god Krishna and his elder half-brother Balarama fighting with the two wrestlers sent by their uncle Kamsa to kill them. The two young boys are destined to kill Kamsa, and hence, Kamsa asks his two mighty wrestlers, Chanura and Musthika, to defeat the two boys in a duel. The upper register depicts Kamsa furious at his ministers as his efforts to kill Krishna and Balarama utilizing many mighty warriors and animals are turning futile.

The folio belongs to the so-called 'Tula Ram' Bhagavata Purana series, produced during the 17th century in Gujarat, representing events from the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana. The name is derived from the last known person to have possession of the entire series, Tula Ram, a mid-twentieth-century dealer from Delhi. Originally known to be seventy in number, a key characteristic of the paintings from this series is the freedom of expression evident in the style of rendering the figures and their surroundings, possibly indicating the work of several artists. Other folios from the same Bhagavata Purana series in the Harvard Art Museum’s collection are objects 1960.53, 1974.128, 1974.129. Gujarati Style.

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

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