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The Birth of Krishna, from a Sursagar of Surdas (Indian, c. 1480–1580)

Unknown

1708

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Baroque Mughal Painting 18th Century Religious

Dominant colour

The Birth of Krishna, from a Sursagar of Surdas (Indian, c. 1480–1580) is a 1708 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1708 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a busy scene: a blue-skinned baby Krishna just born, his mother resting in a small room, villagers dancing, and a blind poet playing cymbals in the corner. The poet is Surdas, a real saint who wrote songs about Krishna. His words are written at the top, and the painting shows the story he’s singing. The colors are bright, and the figures are packed in like a crowded party. Look up more paintings from the Rajput kingdom of Mewar to see how they told stories like this.

The story of this work

Overview

The blind poet and Hindu saint Surdas (1578/79–c. 1581), a devotee of Krishna, is shown in the hut at the lower right corner playing cymbals to measure meter as he recites his poem, called Sursagar . Verse 5 is written at the top of the page, and the scenes of festivities surrounding the arrival of the newborn Krishna are depicted throughout the rest of the painting. His adoptive mother Yashoda lies with the infant in the chamber at the upper left. His dark skin led to his being named Krishna, meaning dark, and shown as blue. Women clamor at her door to see the baby, as the men of the village…