Krishna and the Gopis (Primary Title)
Krishna and the Cowgirls (Former Title)
Unknown (Artist)
This romantic painting from the northwest Indian hill state of Kangra shows Krishna surrounded by his adoring gopis. Whenever the beautiful blue-skinned god played his flute—shown in his left hand—the gopis rushed to be with him. Wearing his customary peacock-feather crown, saffron-colored loincloth, and a long garland of flowers, Krishna embraces Radha, his favorite, while he surreptitiously reaches for the hand of another maiden. Nature’s fecundity—the lotuses brimming from the pond in the foreground and the blossoming vine that hangs from the tree above—suggests the participants’ passions. Cows and cowherds, unfazed by their abandonment, join the assembly of witnesses to this display of divine love.
Institution, Washington, D.C., 1963.
“Romance and Poetry in Indian Painting” Wildenstein Galleries, London, 965.
“Visions of Courtly India: The Archer Collection of Pahari Miniatures” Austin, Des Moines, Seattle, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Houston, Peoria, Denver, Kansas City, Mobile, 1976-1978.
“Indian Miniatures from the Archer and Other Private Collections," Francesca Galloway, London, 2005.
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