Krishna-Kali

In this curious subject Krishna appears in the guise of Kali—four-armed, wearing macabre garlands and with projecting red tongue—being worshipped by his [secret] lover Radha witnessed by other cowherd maidens (gopis) of the Yadavas clan in a forest glade. Krishna’s real identity is nonetheless alluded to by the peacock features he wears in his diadem, not to mention his nonchalant pose. The story tells that Radha’s husband hears of her dalliance with Krishna and rushes to confront her lover, but before he arrives (he is glimpsed entering upper right) Krishna transforms himself into Kali and instructs Radha to behave as if performing a puja (ritual worship). The enraged husband is deceived by this ploy and moved to hear of his wife’s piety in worshipping the family deity. The composition and setting have all the hallmarks of a Victorian stage set, complete with painted landscape backdrop.