ManuscriptsIndian18th century

Krishna and Balarama at a Wrestling Match (painting, recto), folio from a Bhagavata Purana series

c. 1760

Description

This painting features an outdoor wrestling ring. On the right is the blue-skinned Hindu god Krishna; on the left is his elder half-brother Balarama. The tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana includes episodes from Krishna's early life when the divine prophesied that he would kill his evil uncle Kamsa. Fearing for his life, Kamsa asked his wrestlers, Chanura, Musthika, Shala, and Toshala, to defeat the two boys in a duel. In the painting, we see the four mighty wrestlers slain on the ground while the cowherds celebrate the victory of Krishna and Balarama. On the extreme right, we see Kamsa seated alongside his ministers in a pavilion overlooking the wrestling ground. This folio most likely belonged to a Bhagavata Purana series produced in Guler. There is no text on the verso of this folio. This painting might belong to the same series as 1974.108. Scholars have attributed this painting to the Pahari painter, Manaku of Guler (c. 1700 - 1760 CE). Rajput, Pahari, Guler School.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Culture

Indian

Century

18th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art