Krishna and Radha
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Krishna is an avatar (earthly manifestation) of the blue god Vishnu. He lived the early part of his life among cowherds in the countryside. Although this image places him in a sumptuous setting, he still holds the long, narrow flute that he played in the pastures.
Gods are often worshipped together with their goddess consorts. Krishna’s female partner is Radha, whom some traditions treat as an avatar of Vishnu’s consort, Lakshmi.
Caption
Indian. Krishna and Radha, ca. 1690–1700. Opaque watercolor with embossed gold on paper, sheet: 10 1/8 x 7 in. (25.7 x 17.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, 37.122. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.122_IMLS_SL2.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Krishna and Radha
Date
ca. 1690–1700
Geography
Place made: Punjab Hills, India
Medium
Opaque watercolor with embossed gold on paper
Classification
Dimensions
sheet: 10 1/8 x 7 in. (25.7 x 17.8 cm)
Inscriptions
On reverse: Old Bahi account page
Credit Line
Brooklyn Museum Collection
Accession Number
37.122
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement. You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Why is the color blue particularly important for representing gods in Hindu art ? Why not yellow or green? Are other colors associated with something else? Cheers- Claudia from Germany.
Many Hindu gods are blue, including Vishnu in several of his forms. This is the color he has traditionally been described as in Hindu texts. Some scholars believe that the color is a reference to his home above the clouds. His blue skin could also reference a primordial ocean similarly linked textually to Vishnu, which existed before the gods are said to have created land and the creatures who live on it. Some of the other blue deities you see in Hinduism are actually earthly avatars of Vishnu, and are blue because they are part of the same god. However, this is not true of all blue Hindu gods.Thanks a lot, this service is great!
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at
