Artwork
Krishna Fluting
Krishna Fluting is an unspecified painting by the Baroque artist Unknown. It dates from 1688 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 2018.157
- Credit line
- Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
About this work
Overview
This painting, Krishna Fluting, is a work from a royal workshop in Bundi, India, characterized by its vibrant colors and stylized depiction of a Hindu deity.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts Krishna, the blue-skinned god, playing a flute under two trees, entrancing a brown cow. The image also includes a herdsman struggling to control a spotted cow before a temple associated with Shiva, highlighting Krishna's role as a cowherd.
Technique & Style
The artist's use of a bright red background and stylized figural representation, with Krishna's head and feet oriented in opposite directions, creates a sense of weightlessness and emphasizes the divine nature of the subject.
Context
The painting is associated with the Rajput kingdom of Bundi, known for its distinctive artistic style and royal patronage of the arts.
Artist & collection
- Krishna Fluting
Taking of the toll, Dana-Lila
Worship of Krishna and His Flute
Krishna Vanquishing the Crane-Demon Bakasura
Krishna
The Approach of Krishna. Page from a Rasamanjari
Krishna Playing the Flute and other Episodes from the Bhagavata Purana
Krishna playing the flute
Worship of Dvaraka Nathji at Kankroli