Radha and Krishna
Painting
1634 (made)
1634 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This painting is an illustration to the Hindi text the Rasikapriya ('A Connoisseur's Delight'). The author, Keshav Das, wrote it in Orchha in Madhya Pradesh in 1591. It is concerned mainly with love and types of lovers, and these are usually represented by the Hindu god Krishna and his mortal lover, Radha. Here, Krishna, recognisable by his blue skin, is seated before Radha against a plain red background between stylized trees. A monkey, a deer and a bird are also present. This set has a colophon (in a private collection) which gives the date of completion as 1634. A colophon is a short text at the end of a set of paintings that gives the date and place where it was completed. The sparse, simple style is typical of paintings done in Malwa, Central India (today's Madhya Pradesh), throughout much of the 17th century.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Radha and Krishna (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Opaque watercolour on paper |
Brief description | Painting, Rasikapriya illustration, Radha approaches Krishna, opaque watercolour on paper, Malwa, series dated 1634 |
Physical description | Painting, in opaque watercolour on paper, illustration from Kesav Das' Rasikapriya, Radha approaches Krishna in a grove. Radha wears a striped blue, red and white skirt and yellow choli, a deer stands to the right of the couple, and a monkey to the left. Almost identical to IS.26-1958. |
Dimensions |
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Content description | Rasikapriya illustration, Radha approaches Krishna in a grove. |
Style | |
Marks and inscriptions | (undeciphered text above and below image) |
Credit line | Given by John Goelet, Esq. |
Object history | Nominal File: MA/1/G979 |
Subjects depicted | |
Literary reference | Rasikapriya |
Summary | This painting is an illustration to the Hindi text the Rasikapriya ('A Connoisseur's Delight'). The author, Keshav Das, wrote it in Orchha in Madhya Pradesh in 1591. It is concerned mainly with love and types of lovers, and these are usually represented by the Hindu god Krishna and his mortal lover, Radha. Here, Krishna, recognisable by his blue skin, is seated before Radha against a plain red background between stylized trees. A monkey, a deer and a bird are also present. This set has a colophon (in a private collection) which gives the date of completion as 1634. A colophon is a short text at the end of a set of paintings that gives the date and place where it was completed. The sparse, simple style is typical of paintings done in Malwa, Central India (today's Madhya Pradesh), throughout much of the 17th century. |
Associated object | IS.26-1958 (Series) |
Bibliographic reference | Swallow, Deborah and John Guy eds. Arts of India: 1550-1900. text by Rosemary Crill, John Guy, Veronica Murphy, Susan Stronge and Deborah Swallow. London : V&A Publications, 1990. 240 p., ill. ISBN 1851770224, p.135, pl.116. |
Collection | |
Accession number | IS.86-1958 |
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Record created | February 3, 2003 |
Record URL |
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