Artwork
Krishna and Radha Avoid Embarrassment: Mottaita Bhava, from a Rasikapriya
Krishna and Radha Avoid Embarrassment: Mottaita Bhava, from a Rasikapriya is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1640 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work depicts a domestic interior rendered in vivid reds, blues and golds.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the sentiment of Mottaita Bhava, a specific emotional state in which the divine lovers Krishna and Radha seek to avoid embarrassment.
The painting depicts the sentiment of Mottaita Bhava, a specific emotional state in which the divine lovers Krishna and Radha seek to avoid embarrassment. Created in Malwa around 1640, this work illustrates a moment of social delicacy within their romantic narrative. The title explicitly identifies the subject as the pair's attempt to evade awkwardness, reflecting the nuanced emotional classifications found in the Rasikapriya text.
As a visual interpretation of this literary concept, the artwork represents the complex interplay of love and social propriety characteristic of the period's courtly culture.
History & Provenance
Krishna and Radha Avoid Embarrassment: Mottaita Bhava, from a Rasikapriya was created in 1640 in the Malwa region, according to the work's cataloguing data. The painting is held in the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it was accessioned under the number 2018.125. The artist responsible for the work is not identified in the available records, leaving its commission undocumented.
The painting's attribution to an unknown maker, combined with its 2018 Cleveland accession number, suggests it entered the museum's collection through a 2018 acquisition, though the specific circumstances of that acquisition are not detailed in the available sources.
The painting is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Its inventory designation at the museum is 2018.125. The work was made in 1640 in the Malwa region and entered the museum's collection, where it remains held as a painting from a Rasikapriya series.
Overview
The work depicts a domestic interior rendered in vivid reds, blues and golds. A male figure stands on the left, grasping a small object, while two women are seated together on a low platform that resembles a bed. A peacock perches on a roof beyond a window, and a boat drifts on dark water visible in the background. Minimal furnishings, a plain wall, a small table and a red cushion, complete the scene.
Technique & Style
Executed in a bold palette of reds, blues and gold, the painting employs flat areas of color and stylized outlines typical of Indian courtly painting. The surrounding text is integrated into the visual field in a flowing script, linking image and story in a single decorative plane.
Artist & collection
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