Sakhi Persuades Radha to Meet Krishna, from a Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd) of Jayadeva

Purkhu (active c. 1780-1820) was a Pahari painter known for the richly colored, narrative illustrations of the Gita Govinda and other Sanskrit literary works that make him one of the most accomplished painters of the Pahari miniature tradition. Sakhi Persuades Radha to Meet Krishna from c. 1820-25 depicts the scene from the Gita Govinda in which Radha's confidante (sakhi) persuades Radha to meet Krishna, in the richly colored, narrative manner that distinguishes Purkhu's best work from the more general miniature painting of his contemporaries. The Gita Govinda by the 12th-century poet Jayadeva is one of the most important works of Sanskrit literature, and Purkhu's illustrations are among the most accomplished in the Pahari miniature tradition.

Sakhi Persuades Radha to Meet Krishna is important in the history of Indian painting because it demonstrates the richly colored, narrative manner that Purkhu brought to illustrations of the Gita Govinda—Jayadeva's 12th-century masterpiece of Sanskrit literature. Purkhu's illustrations of the Gita Govinda—combining the rich color and narrative detail of the Pahari miniature tradition with the poetic subject matter of the Gita Govinda—are among the most accomplished works in Indian miniature painting, and the c. 1820-25 illustration shows this tradition at its most richly colored.

Sakhi Persuades Radha to Meet Krishna is Purkhu's richly colored Pahari miniature: a scene from the Gita Govinda rendered in the narrative manner of one of the most accomplished painters of the Pahari miniature tradition. The c. 1820-25 illustration shows the Gita Govinda at its most richly colored.