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Krishna and Indra

Painting
ca. 1590 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Mughal Empire (made)
Lahore (made)

The Harivamsa ,"Genealogy of Hari" was a continuation of the great Sanskrit text, the Mahabharata. The Mughal emperor Akbar ordered it to be translated into Persian so that it could be read by non-Hindus. In this illustration to the text done in about 1590, Krishna sweeps down on the bird Garuda to triumph over Indra, the lord of the gods, riding on the white elephant Airavata, watched by gods and celestial beings. The swirling fabrics, billowing clouds, and the boat in the lower part of the scene, are all the result of the influence on Mughal court artists of European paintings. The original manuscript was dispersed and some pages were remounted for later albums, as here. The borders were probably added in Lucknow in the late 18th century.

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read The arts of the Mughal Empire The great age of Mughal art lasted from about 1580 to 1650 and spanned the reigns of three emperors: Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Hindu and Muslim artists and craftsmen from the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent worked with Iranian masters in the masculine environment of the r...

Object details

Categories
Images Online
Paintings
Hinduism
Illustration
Religion
Myths & Legends
Bonita Trust Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project
Object type
Painting
TitleKrishna and Indra (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Opaque Watercolour
Paint
Paper
Gold
Painted
Brief description
Painting, Harivamsa, Krishna in combat with Indra, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, probably Lahore, ca. 1590
Physical description
Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, the battle between Krishna and Indra is shown to be taking place in the sky above a landscape strongly influenced by European painting. Gods and celestial beings hover in the billowing clouds. Krishna swoops down on his bird Garuda to attack Indra on his white elephant.
Dimensions
  • Height: 43.5cm
  • Width: 32cm
Content description
The battle between Krishna and Indra is shown to be taking place in the sky above a landscape strongly influenced by European painting. Gods and celestial beings hover in the billowing clouds. Krishna swoops down on his bird Garuda to attack Indra on his white elephant.
Style
Mughal
Gallery label
(1980)
KRISHNA’S COMBAT WITH INDRA
Page from the Harivamsa (“Genealogy of Hari”)
Opaque water colour and gold on paper
Mughal
ca. 1590

IS 5-1970
Bequeathed by the Hon. Ada Mcnaghten

The Harivamsa ,“Genealogy of Hari” was a continuation of the great Sanskrit text, the Mahabharata. Akbar ordered it to be translated into Persian so that it could be read by non-Hindus in the elite levels of the empire which, he hoped, would increase understanding and tolerance. Here, Krishna sweeps down on the bird Garuda to triumph over Indra on his elephant. The swirling fabrics, billowing clouds, and the boat in the lower part of the scene, are all influenced by European paintings.

Credit line
Bequeathed by the Hon. Dame Ada Macnaghten
Object history
Bequeathed by the Hon. Dame Ada Macnaghten, 1969.
Subjects depicted
Deities
Men
Elephant
Landscape
Flowers
Battle
Krishna
Indra
Garuda
Summary
The Harivamsa ,"Genealogy of Hari" was a continuation of the great Sanskrit text, the Mahabharata. The Mughal emperor Akbar ordered it to be translated into Persian so that it could be read by non-Hindus. In this illustration to the text done in about 1590, Krishna sweeps down on the bird Garuda to triumph over Indra, the lord of the gods, riding on the white elephant Airavata, watched by gods and celestial beings. The swirling fabrics, billowing clouds, and the boat in the lower part of the scene, are all the result of the influence on Mughal court artists of European paintings. The original manuscript was dispersed and some pages were remounted for later albums, as here. The borders were probably added in Lucknow in the late 18th century.
Bibliographic references
  • Ayers, J. Oriental Art in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London 1983, ISBN 0-85667-120-7 p.69 Robert Skelton, "Mughal Paintings from Harivamsa Manuscript", Victoria and Albert Museum Yearbook, no. 2, 1970, pp. 41-54 Qamar Adamjee and Audrey Truschke, 'Reimagining the "Idol Temple of Hindustan". Textual and Visual Translation of Sanskrit Texts in Mughal India', in Amy S. Landau, ed., Pearls on a String. Artists, Patrons and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore in association with University of Washington Press, Seattle and London, 2016, p. 153, fig. 5.7.
  • Asok Kumar Das, Dawn of Mughal Painting, Bombay 1982, plate IX, p. 26
  • 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
  • Susan Stronge, Painting for the Mughal Emperor. The art of the book 1560-1650, V&A Publications, 2002, pl. 64, p. 98
  • Topsfield, Andrew, An introduction to Indian Court Painting, H.M.S.O., London, 1984, 0112903835 pl. 8, p. 17.
  • Khanna, Balraj; Krishna: The Divine Lover, South Bank Centre, London 1997, ISBN 1 85332 166 4 cat. no. 3
  • Swallow, D., Stronge, S., Crill, R., Koezuka, T., editor and translator, "The Art of the Indian Courts. Miniature Painting and Decorative Arts", Victoria & Albert Museum and NHK Kinki Media Plan, 1993. p. 35, cat. no. 9
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IS.5-1970

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O16759/krishna-and-indra-painting-unknown/
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