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Radha's hair being dressed

Unknown

1795

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Romanticism 18th Century Religious

Dominant colour

Radha's hair being dressed is a 1795 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1795 · Mughal Painting
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a woman sitting in front of a mirror while servants fix her hair, fan her, and hold up a curtain. This is Radha, a figure from Hindu stories, getting ready while her lover Krishna watches from a window. The artist drew every fold of cloth and curl of hair with tiny, careful lines. It feels like a private moment, even though we’re looking right at it. To see more scenes like this, look up northern india, pahari kingdoms.

The story of this work

Overview

This drawing is probably a study for a finished painting rather than an underdrawing that was meant to be painted over, due to the care and attention given to the fine details and expressions. Our attention is so focused on Radha in the center, as she applies an ornament in the mirror, that we scarcely notice Krishna peeping at her from a second-story window. Her attendants hold up a curtain to give her privacy, while others fix her hair, hold the mirror, whisk away the flies, and bring her drinks. In the background, female musicians carry instruments for a performance.