Krishna Defeats Trinavarta, the Demon Whirlwind, from a Bhagavata Purana (Book of the Lord)

Object Details

• School/Tradition

  Pre-Mughal school

• Description

  The painting depicts the attack of the demon Trinavarta in the form of a tornado on Yasoda's baby (Krishna), whom he carried into the air. The demon was then strangled by Krishna and falls down dead. Krishna appears twice, once within the whirlwind and again standing unharmed before his mother and the adoring gopis.

• Inscriptions

  Recto: "Sa Mitharam" in Davanagari, identity unknown, but possibly the patron.

  Text: Bhagavata Purana.

  Text: Bhagavata Purana.

• Label

  The classic Hindu scripture Bhagavata Purana (Book of the Lord), extols the god Vishnu as the supreme lord of the universe. Composed in the Sanskrit language around 900, the text describes the many incarnations of Vishnu; including Krishna. This particular manuscript relates tales of Krishna's childhood. The blue-skinned Krishna appears twice: first swept up in the whirlwind, which is actually the demon Trinavarta, and then, after wrestling free, standing unharmed before his mother and the adoring cowherd girls.

• Provenance

  At least ca. 1955-?

  Probably Roerich family, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  At least ca. 1965-?

  Wilfrid Blunt (1901-1987), method of acquisition unknown [2]

  ?-?

  Sir Howard Hodgkin (1923-2017), method of acquisition unknown [3]

  ?-1987

  Terence McInerney, New York, NY, probably acquired from Sir Howard Hodgkin [4]

  From 1987

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd. [5]

  Notes:

  [1] See letter from Terence McInerney, New York, NY, to Milo Beach, dated April 8, 1987, copy in object file. Object is described as, “Krishna is Carried off by Trinavarta.” The provenance is described as, “Probably Roerich family collection, New Delhi (circa 1955 or earlier) [/] Wilfred [sic, Wilfrid] Blunt, Surrey, England (circa 1965 or earlier) [/] Private collection, England.”

  See also Milo Beach, “The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court,” (Washington, DC: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 2012), p. 49, cat. 4b, ill. The provenance for this object as “Ex-collections: Howard Hodgkin; Wilfrid Blunt.”

  Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947) and his sons, George (1902-1960) and Svetoslav (1904-1993), were a Russian family that relocated to the town of Manali in Punjab Himalaya (now Himachal Pradesh), India in the 1920s. Nicholas and Svetoslav were both artists and notable collectors of South Asian art, while George was a scholar of Tibetan art. The family also resided in New York, NY and later in Switzerland, where they kept part of their collection. Svetoslav was notable collector of Indian sculpture and paintings, specifically from the Punjab Hills and the Mughal and Rajput courts. Svetoslav acquired objects from the dealers Chhotelal Bharany in Bombay (now Mumbai) and the Natesan brothers (Dinesan, Mahadevan, Kalesan, and Krishnagopal) in Bangalore. Objects from Roerich family’s collection may now be found at the British Museum, The National Museum, New Delhi, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The family’s estate in Manali and their residence in New York are now museums dedicated to the family.

  [2] See note 1. Terence McInerney’s letter states, “I do not know how Blunt came to acquired it.”

  Wilfrid Blunt (1901-1987) was an art educator, curator, and collector of Persian and Indian paintings among other things. In 1937, Blunt became a drawing master at Eton College, where Sir Howard Hodgkin (1923-2017) was a pupil. Blunt left Eton College in 1959 and joined the Watts Gallery in Surrey, England, as a curator, until he retired in 1983.

  [3] See note 1.

  Sir Howard Hodgkin was an English painter and collector of Indian painting. He was awarded the Turner prize in 1985 and was knighted in 1992. In 1946, Hodgkin started collecting Indian paintings after his drawing master, Wilfrid Blunt (1901-1987), introduced him to the genre when he attended Eton College. Objects from Hodgkin’s collection may also be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

  [4] See “Incoming Receipt,” dated March 27, 1987, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Terence McInerney, New York, NY to the Freer Gallery of Art for acquisition consideration on March 27, 1987. Object is described as, “Krishna is Carried off by a demon (Trinavarta) in the Form of a Whirl-wind.”

  Terence G. McInerney is a dealer specializing in Indian and Islamic paintings in New York, NY. McInerney’s businesses included Greater India Company, Inc. (active 1974-1991) in Cambridge, MA and Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013) in New York, NY.

  [4] See object file for copy of Terence McInerney, New York, NY, invoice to Freer Gallery of Art, and marked approved on May 22, 1987. 

  Research updated August 22, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Worlds within Worlds: Imperial Paintings from India and Iran (July 28 to September 16, 2012)

  The Adventures of Hamza (June 26 to September 29, 2002)

  Masterworks of Indian Painting (December 13, 1997 to June 13, 1998)

  Female Imagery in Indian Painting (February 9 to August 5, 1996)

  South and South East Asian Art (May 9, 1993 to February 7, 2000)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Probably the Roerich family

  Wilfrid Blunt (1901-1987)

  Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017)

  Terence G. McInerney

• Origin

  Delhi-Agra, North India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1520s, 1510s

• Name

  Roerich family, Blunt, Wilfrid, Hodgkin, Howard, McInerney, Terence G.

• Place

  Delhi-Agra, India

• Topic

  Gopi, South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Krishna, Demon, Bhagavata Purana, Children, Sanskrit

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings