Krishna and Bakasura
Painting
ca. 1850 (made)
ca. 1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Painting, in watercolour on paper, with tin alloy details, image of Krishna shown in the act of killing Bakasura, the Heron Demon, by splitting the bird's long beaks. Krishna is depicted as blue skinned and wide-eyed, wearing short "dhoti" and a cape thrown over his shoulder. He is adorned with the customary peacock-feather tiara and has the Vaishnavite markings on his forehead. The other ornaments on Krishna's body are multi-string necklace painted in white, a pair of ear-rings, bangles, amulets and anklets. The ornaments can be described as the stock-in-trade of the Kalight paintings.
The white wide eyes of Krishna are prominent in this painting due to his dark skin. Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, was fostered by Nanda and Yasoda and he grew up amongst the cowherds in Vrindaban to avoid the vengeance of his maternal uncle Raja Kansa. However, Kansa made several attempts on Krishna's life by sending various demons and among them was Bakasura.
The white wide eyes of Krishna are prominent in this painting due to his dark skin. Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, was fostered by Nanda and Yasoda and he grew up amongst the cowherds in Vrindaban to avoid the vengeance of his maternal uncle Raja Kansa. However, Kansa made several attempts on Krishna's life by sending various demons and among them was Bakasura.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Krishna and Bakasura (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in watercolour on paper, with tin alloy details |
| Brief description | Painting, Krishna quelling Bakasura, watercolour and tin alloy on paper, Kalighat, Kolkata, ca. 1850 |
| Physical description | Painting, in watercolour on paper, with tin alloy details, image of Krishna shown in the act of killing Bakasura, the Heron Demon, by splitting the bird's long beaks. Krishna is depicted as blue skinned and wide-eyed, wearing short "dhoti" and a cape thrown over his shoulder. He is adorned with the customary peacock-feather tiara and has the Vaishnavite markings on his forehead. The other ornaments on Krishna's body are multi-string necklace painted in white, a pair of ear-rings, bangles, amulets and anklets. The ornaments can be described as the stock-in-trade of the Kalight paintings. The white wide eyes of Krishna are prominent in this painting due to his dark skin. Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, was fostered by Nanda and Yasoda and he grew up amongst the cowherds in Vrindaban to avoid the vengeance of his maternal uncle Raja Kansa. However, Kansa made several attempts on Krishna's life by sending various demons and among them was Bakasura. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | Krishna shown in the act of killing Bakasura, the Heron Demon, by splitting the bird's long beaks. Krishna is depicted as blue skinned and wide-eyed, wearing short dhoti and a cape thrown over his shoulder. He is adorned with the customary peacock-feather tiara and has the Vaishnavite markings on his forehead. The other ornaments on Krishna's body are multi-string necklace painted in white, a pair of ear-rings, bangles, amulets and anklets. |
| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Krishna
Bakasura
A.C.E / 16 (at the bottom left hand corner)
Other notes (at the top right hand corner) (Inscriptions are in English. The note on the top right hand corner is very faint and is difficult to read.) |
| Object history | Part of the same collection (A.C.E) as D.657-1889 and D.661-1889 and stylistically most likely painted by the same painter. The painting was originally acquired from G. Wild, by the Department of Prints and Drawings in 1889. RP 51/2237 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Bibliographic reference | Archer, W.G., Bazaar Paintings of Calcutta, Victoria & Albert Museum, H.M.S.O., 1955
p. 18, no. 8, p. 21, p. 36, pl. 8
Archer, W.G., Kalighat Paintings a Catalogue and Introduction, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office 1971, p.48 (4, v). |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | D.656-1889 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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