Krishna and Balarama touching the feet of Vasudeva and Devaki, from the “Vertical” Bhagavata Purana
1712
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1712
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Krishna and Balarama touching the feet of Vasudeva and Devaki, from the “Vertical” Bhagavata Purana is a 1712 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A blue-skinned god kneels beside his white-skinned brother, both touching the feet of a man and woman in fine robes. The room is almost empty, just a big white wall behind them. This is Krishna and his brother Balarama meeting their parents for the first time after years apart. The story says the parents were locked up, but the boys just freed them. The blank wall makes the moment feel quiet and heavy, like the years they lost. To see more scenes like this, look up Pahari kingdoms.
This intensely emotional scene depicts the reunion of the blue-skinned god Krishna with his parents for the first time since the night of his birth. The stark white expanse of wall that fills most of the composition evokes the desolate years of separation during which time his parents were in prison. According to the story, Krishna and his half-brother, the white-skinned Balarama, have just slain a wicked king and freed his parents. Nevertheless, they all wear fine garments and ornaments. The artist elected to emphasize the appearance of good fortune over realism, signaling to the viewer that…
Krishna and Balarama wear a ring of bells on each foot.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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