Friends of Krishna, folio 163 from a Bhakti Ratnavali of Vishnu Puri

Description

In the upper left vignette, the blue-skinned Krishna sits with two of his friends before Nanda, his foster father and head of the cowherd village in Braj, where he spent his youth. Below, he interacts with three adoring cows. The scene in the upper right corner accords with the end of the verse at the top of the page, which reads, “The one who speaks about him to his wife and son at home will never be abandoned by him.” The text is drawn from a compendium of devotional verses excerpted from the extensive Bhagavata Purana by the medieval commentator Vishnu Puri.

Provenance

Dr. Sherman E. Lee [1918-2008], Cleveland, OH, given to Miss Schroeder; Louise G. Schroeder [1905–1977], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1970); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1970–)

Friends of Krishna, folio 163 from a Bhakti Ratnavali of Vishnu Puri

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1725–50

Accession Number

1970.510

Medium

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Dimensions

Overall: 26.5 x 42.2 cm (10 7/16 x 16 5/8 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Louise G. Schroeder