Cleveland Museum of Art

Radha and Krishna meet in the forest during a storm

Date

c. 1770

Medium

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Culture

India, Bengal, Mughal, 18th century

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This painting depicts the Hindu deity Krishna as a youth among the villagers of the cowherding community where he grew up. Drawn to him, the women hurry to hold a coverlet over him in protection from the rain, not realizing that he is able to lift a mountain to shield them all. Birds and monkeys populate the trees, and a Hindu temple and palace buildings stand in the background. This vibrant work was probably made for an aristocratic Hindu ruler of territories in eastern India during the period when Mughal artists dispersed from the imperial center after the invasion of Delhi in 1739. The belly of the white cow has been colored orange with henna.

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