Krishna fluting, folio from a Dasavatar series

Object Details

• Artist

  Attributed to the Master of the Court of Mankot (active early 18th century)

• Description

  Beneath an arched bower exploding with blossoming creepers and flowers, Krishna, charmingly poised on one foot, entertains attentively adoring gopis with music from his flute. The painting’s vibrant colors, particularly the vivid red ground, and the ardently focused gazes of the lotus-eyed gopis attest to the powerful currents of emotion connecting the blue-skinned Krishna and his devotees. As an allusion to his divine status, the artist represented Krishna standing upon an open lotus flower that rests on a marble throne inlaid with precious gems. The vines encircling the tree trunks are a visual instantiation of a well-attested metaphor for the relationship between a woman (vine) and her lover (tree).

• Label

  This folio is one in a series (dasavatara) illustrating the ten avatars of Vishnu. Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Vishnu; his exploits are described in the Mahabharata, the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana, and numerous other poems and poetic treatises from the Gita Govinda to the Sur Sagar.

• Provenance

  Raja Dhruv Dev Chand of Lambagraon, descendant of the Kangra rulers

  Sharma, Delhi [1]

  To 1984

  Kapoor Galleries, Inc., New York, New York [2]

  From 1984 to 2002

  Paul F. Walter (1935-2017), New York, New York, purchased from Kapoor Galleries, Inc., New York, New York in 1984 [3]

  2002

  Sale, New York, Sotheby’s, Important Indian Miniatures from The Paul F. Walter Collection, November 14, 2002, lot 65: “Illustration to a Dasavatara series” [4]

  From 2002 to 2018

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, purchased at auction, Sotheby’s, New York, “Important Indian Miniatures from The Paul F. Walter Collection,” November 14, 2002, lot no. 65: “Illustration to a Dasavatara series” [5]

  From 2018

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim [6]

  Notes:

  [1] According to Catherine Benkaim.

  [2] See Sotheby’s auction catalogue from the sale in New York. Sotheby’s, Important Indian Miniatures from The Paul F. Walter Collection, November 14, 2002, lot 65: “Illustration to a Dasavatara series.”

  [3] See note 2. See also Pal, P., American Collectors Asian Art, (Bombay: Marg Publications, 1986), pp. 205-206.

  [4] See note 2.

  [5] See note 2.

  [6] See Acquisition Consideration Form, object file, Collections Management Office.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Vishnu: Hindu's Blue-skinned Saviour (February to October, 2011)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Raja of Lambagraon

  Sharma

  Ramesh Kapoor

  Paul F. Walter (1935-2017)

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim

• Origin

  Mankot, Uttarakhand state, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the National Museum of Asian Art

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1720s, 1730s

• Name

  Sharma, Benkaim, Catherine Glynn, Lambragaon, Kapoor, Ramesh, Walter, Paul F.

• Place

  Mankot, Uttarakhand state, India

• Topic

  Gopi, South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Krishna, Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, Music, Flute

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings