Cleveland Museum of Art

Krishna asks for sweets, from a Sursagar of Surdas (Indian, c. 1480–1580)

Date

1705–10

Medium

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Culture

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Mewar

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The heart of the scene is at the lower right, where the blue Hindu god Krishna as a boy is trying to persuade his foster mother Yashoda to give him more food. He is in the process of telling her that he needs extra treats so he can grow big to accomplish all the exploits depicted in the remainder of the page: herding cattle, killing demons, defeating wrestlers, and finally winning the throne of Mathura, as seen in the upper right where he sits crowned king in place of his evil uncle Kamsa. In the hut at the lower left sits the blind poet, author of the verse at the top of the page.

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