Brahma Honors Lord Krishna for His Miraculous Deed

Currently not on view

Brahma Honors Lord Krishna for His Miraculous Deed

c. 1525-1540

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

This page comes from the earliest known illustrated series of the Bhagavata Purana, an influential Hindu poem written in Sanskrit that praises the god Vishnu and narrates his many incarnations. Undoubtedly the god's most compelling form is Krishna, who is usually shown with blue skin. His story appears in the tenth chapter of the text, which is often copied separately, as may be the case here. The horizontal pages have only a short caption on the front, usually written in a yellow area at the top of the page. Text appears in varying lengths on the reverse, but the work is clearly conceived to tell the story through pictures. Here the priestly, four-headed god Brahma pays homage to Krishna, who has just performed a miraculous deed. The angular profiles, full hips, bold eyes, balloonlike trees, wavy cloud-lines, and flat, primary colors characterize an indigenous North Indian painting tradition.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Brahma Honors Lord Krishna for His Miraculous Deed
Page separated from the earliest known manuscript of the Bhagavata Purana, stories of Lord Vishnu, The Four-Headed Priest-God Brahma Honors Lord Krishna for his Miraculous Deed

Date:

c. 1525-1540

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor and ink on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 5 3/8 × 9 1/8 inches (13.7 × 23.2 cm) Sheet: 7 1/8 × 9 1/2 inches (18.1 × 24.1 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

125th Anniversary Acquisition. Alvin O. Bellak Collection, 2004

Accession Number:

2004-149-6

Geography:

Made in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-Agra Region, India, Asia

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Currently not on view