Krishna, Radha, and the Gopis Meet a Young Prince

Unknown artist

c. 1650

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; Rajput Style, Mewar School

Arthur M. Sackler Museum

A blue-skinned figure, likely Krishna, stands with a group of women in colorful attire. Two women in the foreground are playing music and dancing. Palm trees and decorative plants frame the scene. Within a large red circle with a yellow border is Krishna, the blue-skinned, eighth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu who is revered as a deity in his own right. He is crowned and bare-chested. His right arm is over his consort, Radha’s, shoulder. Behind them is a group of gopis (milkmaids). They all face a young prince, his royal status denoted by the large fan he carries. Below them are two female musicians one plays the symbols, while the other plays the mridagam, a type of drum. Rajput Style, Mewar School. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift in gratitude to John Coolidge, Gift of Leslie Cheek, Jr., Anonymous Fund in