Krishna and the Cowherds Dive into the River, from a Rasikapriya
1640
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1640
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Krishna and the Cowherds Dive into the River, from a Rasikapriya is a 1640 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, depicting Madhya Pradesh, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a bright, busy scene: eight young men in loincloths leap into a river, while women in colorful saris watch from a marble terrace. The water is a bold diagonal stripe of blue, green, and white. This painting comes from a royal workshop in Malwa, central India. The artist didn’t sign it, but the playful energy and flat, decorative style are typical of the region. Notice how the figures seem to float—there’s no shadow or depth, just joyful movement. To see more art like this, look up central india, madhya pradesh, malwa.
Krishna and seven cowherds ( gopa s) playfully jump into a river, depicted as a wavy tricolor band that divides the composition diagonally in half. Krishna and four others are already airborne, while three get ready to jump. Radha and her friends witness this feat in amusement from a marble platform. The milkmaids are fully dressed, while Krishna and the cowherds are wearing kaupina loincloths.
The boys are shown in subtly different sizes to convey their movement through space.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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