id: 314439
accession number: 2018.134
share license status: CC0
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/2018.134
updated: 2023-03-22 03:05:18.437000
Krishna Lifts Mount Govardhan, from a Bhagavata Purana, 1686. Central India, Madhya Pradesh, Malwa. Gum tempera on paper; page: 19.4 x 27.6 cm (7 5/8 x 10 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.134
title: Krishna Lifts Mount Govardhan, from a Bhagavata Purana
title in original language:
series:
series in original language:
creation date: 1686
creation date earliest: 1686
creation date latest: 1686
current location:
creditline: Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
copyright:
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culture: Central India, Madhya Pradesh, Malwa
technique: Gum tempera on paper
department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
collection: Indian Art
type: Painting
find spot:
catalogue raisonne:
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CREATORS
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measurements: Page: 19.4 x 27.6 cm (7 5/8 x 10 7/8 in.)
state of the work:
edition of the work:
support materials:
inscriptions:
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: Krishna and the Path of Grace – Indian Gallery 242 Rotation
opening date: 2020-08-14T04:00:00
Krishna and the Path of Grace – Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 14, 2020-March 7, 2021).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
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PROVENANCE
Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Barbara Timmer, Beverly Hills, CA, partial sale and gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art
date: ?-2018
footnotes:
citations:
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
date: 2018-
footnotes:
citations:
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fun fact:
The “hundred-eyed” Indra wears the garments of a Mughal emperor, with his tunic tied under the right arm.
digital description:
After Krishna convinced the dwellers of the cowherd village in Braj to not give the annual offering to Indra, king of the gods, an enraged Indra flooded the village with heavy rainfall. Krishna, shown with four arms, lifted nearby Mount Govardhan, and the villagers took shelter underneath. The painting depicts a heavy torrent of rain, and in the upper left, Indra sits enthroned with two attendants and his white elephant mount.
wall description:
The miracle of Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan dominates this manuscript page. Rain falls from violent storm clouds, and Krishna holds aloft the mountain like an umbrella, as the cowherd men and women celebrate. In this version, Krishna has four arms, so he can play his flute and reassure a milkmaid while he balances the mountain on his middle finger. Cows stare adoringly at him.
The “hundred-eyed” Indra, king of the gods who sent the storm, sits enthroned at the upper left. He wears the garments of a Mughal emperor, with his tunic tied under his right arm.
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RELATED WORKS
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CITATIONS
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IMAGES
web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2018.134/2018.134_web.jpg
print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2018.134/2018.134_print.jpg
full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2018.134/2018.134_full.tif