ManuscriptsIndian17th century

Krishna and Balarama in the Clutches of Kamsa's Wrestler (painting, recto), folio from a Bhagavata Purana series

17th century

Description

The folio depicts blue-skinned Hindu god Krishna and his elder half-brother Balarama fighting with the two wrestlers sent by their uncle Kamsa to kill them. The two young boys are destined to kill Kamsa, and hence, Kamsa asks his two mighty wrestlers, Chanura and Musthika, to defeat the two boys in a duel. The upper register depicts Kamsa furious at his ministers as his efforts to kill Krishna and Balarama utilizing many mighty warriors and animals are turning futile. The folio belongs to the so-called 'Tula Ram' Bhagavata Purana series, produced during the 17th century in Gujarat, representing events from the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana. The name is derived from the last known person to have possession of the entire series, Tula Ram, a mid-twentieth-century dealer from Delhi. Originally known to be seventy in number, a key characteristic of the paintings from this series is the freedom of expression evident in the style of rendering the figures and their surroundings, possibly indicating the work of several artists. Other folios from the same Bhagavata Purana series in the Harvard Art Museum’s collection are objects 1960.53, 1974.128, 1974.129. Gujarati Style.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Opaque watercolor on paper

Culture

Indian

Century

17th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art