Krishna and Nikumba
1590
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1590
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Krishna and Nikumba is a 1590 paint by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
Krishna stands over Nikumbha’s body in a dark cave. The demon king lies crushed under Krishna’s foot, his crown toppled. Mughal artists painted this scene from a Hindu text, mixing Indian stories with Persian colors. The artist shows Krishna almost weightless, stepping on the demon like a dancer. Notice the blue halo around Krishna’s head—like a saint’s, but he’s a god. The cave walls glow with faint light, giving the fight a strange calm. Look for more Hindu scenes at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
A painting from around 1590, rendered in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, depicts the blue-skinned deity Krishna, adorned in a dhoti, crown, royal scarves, and jewellery, standing centrally within a cave against a black background. He has just decapitated the demon king Nikumbha, shown with spotted skin and flaming eyes in the manner of Iranian book painting. Rocky formations appear at the top of the composition, while Krishna’s companions gather around the central figures. Originally part of a dispersed illustrated translation of the Harivamsa, the work was later incorporated into an…
Read the full account in the museum source.
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