Artwork
Yasoda Churning Butter (verso), from a Kalighat album
Yasoda Churning Butter (verso), from a Kalighat album is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work, titled “Yasoda Churning Butter (verso),” is a small-scale painting from a Kalighat album.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays a domestic scene of maternal care in which a mother figure gently churns butter, a motif that symbolizes nourishment and domestic virtue in Bengali folk traditions. The iconography draws on everyday household activity to convey spiritual themes of devotion and domestic harmony. It was created in Kolkata around 1890 and is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.
Technique & Style
The work is a painting executed on paper support, typical of Kalighat traditions from 19th-century Kolkata. Its formal style combines bold outlines and flat areas of color characteristic of the genre, while the verso inscription indicates it originates from a devotional album depicting episodes of Krishna's childhood.
History & Provenance
No specific details regarding the original commission or the chain of ownership prior to its acquisition by the museum are provided in the available records.
The artwork, titled Yasoda Churning Butter (verso) from a Kalighat album, was created in 1890 in Kolkata. It is attributed to an unknown artist and classified as a painting. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is cataloged under the accession number 2003.108.b. No specific details regarding the original commission or the chain of ownership prior to its acquisition by the museum are provided in the available records.
Overview
The work, titled “Yasoda Churning Butter (verso),” is a small-scale painting from a Kalighat album. It depicts a domestic scene in which a woman, dressed in a striped skirt and a red headscarf, holds a wooden stick while a young dark‑skinned child reaches toward her. A large yellow pot and a tall pole draped with cloth form the background, anchoring the composition.
Artist & collection
- Yasoda Churning Butter (verso), from a Kalighat album
Leaf from a Kalighat album: Parvati Placing a Wedding Garland on Shiva (recto); Yasoda Churning Butter (verso)
Leaf from a Kalighat album: Parvati Placing a Wedding Garland on Shiva (recto); Yasoda Churning Butter (verso)
Yasoda with Krishna Churning Butter
Krishna Stroking Radha's Feet (verso), from a Kalighat album
Baby Krishna Asking for Butter from Yashoda, from a Kalighat album
Rai Raja, from a Kalighat album
