The Wedding of Krishna and Rukmini (painting, recto), folio from a Bhagavata Purana series
c. 1820
Description
The painting depicts the wedding ceremony of Krishna and Rukmini, Krishna's principal wife and queen. The blue-skinned Hindu god is seated beside Rukmini, identified by the caption above their heads. They face priests who conduct the wedding ceremony, and the sacred altar of fire is between them. In Hindu wedding ceremonies, the bride and groom perform a ritual in which they circumambulate the holy fire, praying and exchanging vows of duty, love, fidelity, and respect. Two female musicians sit on the far left, and two women watch the ceremony from a window. This folio most likely belonged to a Bhagavata Purana series produced in the Pahari region of Northern India. Other folios from the same Bhagavata Purana series in the Harvard Art Museum’s collection are objects 2001.335, 2001.337, 2001.338. Rajput, Pahari.
Dimensions
21.11 x 27.94 cm (8 5/16 x 11 in.)
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