Krishna Combs Radha's Hair

Krishna Combs Radha's Hair

c. 1820
Locale
Punjab Hills, India
Country
India
Object
painting
Accession Number
1988.183
Credit Line
Bequest of Irene Littledale Downs
Krishna Combs Radha's Hair. c. 1820. Bequest of Irene Littledale Downs. 1988.183.
Dimensions
image height: 7.625 in, 19.3675 cm; image width: 5.75 in, 14.605 cm; sheet height: 9.5 in, 24.13 cm; sheet width: 7.625 in, 19.3675 cm; mat height: 20 in, 50.8 cm; mat width: 16 in, 40.64 cm; window height: 8 1/4 in, 20.955 cm; window width: 6 5/8 in, 16.
Inscription
Characters on verso flat
Department
Arts of Asia
Collection
Arts of Asia

Krishna Combs Radha’s Hair
About 1820
Garhwal, Himachal Pradesh, India
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Bequest of Irene Littledale Downs
1988.183

One of the names for the Hindu god Krishna (an incarnation of the god Vishnu) is Shyama, the “dark one,” and he is usually shown as blue. This scene of intimacy between Krishna and the cowherd Radha is also a metaphor for devotion to God. During the fifteenth century, a form of worship called Bhakti emerged in which personal fidelity and worship were preferred over ancient rituals or texts; Krishna and love directed toward him were the essence of the Bhakti movement.