Krishna approaches Radha, folio from a Rasikapriya

Title: KrishnaClose TooltipKrishna[KRISH-nah]a major deity and an avatar of the god Vishnu, considered by some to be of equal or greater importance than Vishnu. The most popular and widely worshiped avatars of Vishnu are Krishna and Rama. approaches RadhaClose TooltipRadha[RAAD-huh]beloved of the god Krishna., folioClose Tooltipfoliothe back and front of a leaf in a book; the term is usually used in the context of handwritten manuscripts. page – refers to only one side of a leaf and is used in the context of printed books. from a RasikapriyaClose TooltipRasikapriya[RAAS-ick-uh PREE-yuh]literally, “Connoisseur’s Delights”; a manual of poetics written by Keshav Das in 1591 that was wildly popular in the Hindu and Muslim courts of northern India.

Type: Folio

Associated Religious Tradition: Hinduism

Origins

• Geography: India, Rajasthan, Bikaner
• Date: Dated 1690
• Period: Early Modern
• Artist: Nur Muhammad

Physical Properties

• Material: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
• Dimensions: H × W (overall): 19 × 14 cm (7 1/2 × 5 1/2 in)

Crediting Information

• Collection: National Museum of Asian Art Collection
• Credit Line: Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection—funds provided by the Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
• Accession Number: S2018.1.45

Religious beliefs, cultural ideals, and social relations are often deeply interwoven. Painted at the end of the seventeenth century, this manuscriptClose Tooltipmanuscript[man-yoo-skript]a handwritten text. folioClose Tooltipfoliothe back and front of a leaf in a book; the term is usually used in the context of handwritten manuscripts. page – refers to only one side of a leaf and is used in the context of printed books. conveys a popular aspect of the multifaceted god KrishnaClose TooltipKrishna[KRISH-nah]a major deity and an avatar of the god Vishnu, considered by some to be of equal or greater importance than Vishnu. The most popular and widely worshiped avatars of Vishnu are Krishna and Rama. and encodes attitudes about gender and romance. It also shines a light on cultural arenas that transcended the religious affiliations of Hindu and Muslim individuals in early modern India.

The folio illustrates a verse from the RasikapriyaClose TooltipRasikapriya[RAAS-ick-uh PREE-yuh]literally, “Connoisseur’s Delights”; a manual of poetics written by Keshav Das in 1591 that was wildly popular in the Hindu and Muslim courts of northern India. (Connoisseur’s Delights), a manual of poetics that was wildly popular in the Hindu and Muslim courts of North India. The text teaches metaphor, simile, alliteration, and other poetic devices through examples that relate the yearning, joys, quarrels, and reunions that mark the romance of RadhaClose TooltipRadha[RAAD-huh]beloved of the god Krishna. and Krishna.

This illustrated Rasikapriya was painted for Maharaja Anup Singh (r. 1669–98), the Hindu ruler of Bikaner, a kingdom in northwest India. Anup Singh was part of an elite culture that included Hindus and Muslims. He served as a soldier and a governor for the Mughals, the Indo-Islamic dynasty that ruled much of the subcontinent between 1526 and 1857. Moreover, his atelier included both Hindu and Muslim painters. This is not unusual. Throughout Indian history, professional artists created sculptures and paintings for multiple religious traditions. Nur Muhammad, the painter of this folio, was a Muslim.

The painting depicts KrishnaClose TooltipKrishna[KRISH-nah]a major deity and an avatar of the god Vishnu, considered by some to be of equal or greater importance than Vishnu. The most popular and widely worshiped avatars of Vishnu are Krishna and Rama. and his beloved RadhaClose TooltipRadha[RAAD-huh]beloved of the god Krishna. locking eyes. The god lifts a lotus petal to his lips; entranced, she mimics his gesture. Although the episode relates to Krishna’s time on earth in a cowherders’ village, the setting is a beautiful palace. The palace combines the cusped-arch doorways of magnificent palaces with the grass roofs of garden pavilions and village dwellings. The combination of architectural forms hints at Krishna’s nature as a deity who is both transcendent and approachable.

Bikaner painting from this period is known for its delicate coloring, fine attention to finish, and charming details. Nur Muhammad drew upon and synthesized multiple visual traditions. He worked in a style that brought together the painting traditions of the imperial Mughal atelier centered in North India, the Deccani courts of central India, and local, western Indian elements. The naturalistic proportions and shading of the figures are adapted from imperial Mughal paintings. Its mauve and pink palette recalls the orchid-like pastels favored in the Deccan courts. The leaves of the trees and the figures are rendered parallel to the picture plane in the manner that is seen in earlier Hindu and Jain paintings from western India. Finally, the subject and the emotional connection between Krishna and Radha come from bhaktiClose Tooltipbhakti[BHAK-tee]a form of devotion that stresses a personal connection to one’s chosen deity. devotionalism.

Today, KrishnaClose TooltipKrishna[KRISH-nah]a major deity and an avatar of the god Vishnu, considered by some to be of equal or greater importance than Vishnu. The most popular and widely worshiped avatars of Vishnu are Krishna and Rama. has devotees across all corners of the subcontinent and around the world. In the summer months, the devotees of Krishna—throughout India and in American cities like Boston, Chicago, and Denver—celebrate him during a festival in which a devotional image of Krishna is carried around the community on a chariot. The processions enable devotees to see and be seen by Krishna.

1. Compare this folioClose Tooltipfoliothe back and front of a leaf in a book; the term is usually used in the context of handwritten manuscripts. page – refers to only one side of a leaf and is used in the context of printed books. (KrishnaClose TooltipKrishna[KRISH-nah]a major deity and an avatar of the god Vishnu, considered by some to be of equal or greater importance than Vishnu. The most popular and widely worshiped avatars of Vishnu are Krishna and Rama. approaches RadhaClose TooltipRadha[RAAD-huh]beloved of the god Krishna.) with two other folios by different artists made for the same illustrated manuscriptClose Tooltipmanuscript[man-yoo-skript]a handwritten text.: Krishna talking with a confidante of Radha and Krishna playing with the gopis. What is similar? What is different? Why might one artist have emphasized a rural setting and another artist represented a palatial setting?
2. The Bikaner RasikapriyaClose TooltipRasikapriya[RAAS-ick-uh PREE-yuh]literally, “Connoisseur’s Delights”; a manual of poetics written by Keshav Das in 1591 that was wildly popular in the Hindu and Muslim courts of northern India. had 187 folios. A single painting might take a month or more to complete, but there were many artists in the Bikaner workshop. Look at the inscriptions for these three paintings (see the links listed above). What is the fastest that this 187-folio Rasikapriya could have been completed?

1. Who is RadhaClose TooltipRadha[RAAD-huh]beloved of the god Krishna.? Who is KrishnaClose TooltipKrishna[KRISH-nah]a major deity and an avatar of the god Vishnu, considered by some to be of equal or greater importance than Vishnu. The most popular and widely worshiped avatars of Vishnu are Krishna and Rama.? What is their relationship to one another?
2. What is the bhaktiClose Tooltipbhakti[BHAK-tee]a form of devotion that stresses a personal connection to one’s chosen deity. movement in the Hindu traditions?
3. The story of Krishna and Radha is deeply Hindu. However, the RasikapriyaClose TooltipRasikapriya[RAAS-ick-uh PREE-yuh]literally, “Connoisseur’s Delights”; a manual of poetics written by Keshav Das in 1591 that was wildly popular in the Hindu and Muslim courts of northern India. was court poetry that brought the story into wider arenas, including both Hindu and Muslim courts. Can you think of examples of motifs that were originally religious but now appear in non-sectarian spaces in the United States? Do these make people from other religions feel more included in the broader culture? Do they work to build understanding and empathy, or do they make people feel pressured?

Busch, Allison. Poetry of Kings: The Classical Hindi Literature of Mughal India. Oxford University Press, 2011.

Cummins, Joan. VishnuClose TooltipVishnu[VISH-noo]one of the principal deities of the Hindu traditions. He is the object of devotion for the Vaishnavas and the preserver of the universe. He has taken physical form as human avatars, such as Rama and Krishna.: Hinduism’s Blue-Skinned Savior. Ahmedabad: Grantha Corp., 2011.

Desai, Vishakha. “Painting and Politics in Seventeenth-Century North India: Mewār, Bikāner, and the Mughal Court.” Art Journal 49, no. 4 (Winter 2009): 370–78. https://www.jstor.org/stable/777138

Flood, Gavin. An Introduction to Hinduism. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Richardson, E. Allen. Seeing KrishnaClose TooltipKrishna[KRISH-nah]a major deity and an avatar of the god Vishnu, considered by some to be of equal or greater importance than Vishnu. The most popular and widely worshiped avatars of Vishnu are Krishna and Rama. in America: The Hindu BhaktiClose Tooltipbhakti[BHAK-tee]a form of devotion that stresses a personal connection to one’s chosen deity. Tradition of Vallabhacharya in India and Its Movement to the West. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland, 2014.

Sethi, Cristin McKnight. “Representations of Krishna.” Smarthistory. https://smarthistory.org/representations-krishna/