Krishna playing the flute (Murli Manohar)

Narottam Narayan Sharma was the most famed print artist of his generation; his work dominated popular print culture from the 1930s to the 1950s. This highly romanticized imagining of Krishna playing his flute in a moonlit setting is reputed to be the best-selling image in the history of devotional prints. Here the bejeweled Krishna, wearing a saffron-yellow waistcloth, stands in his characteristic pose with one foot crossed over the other. A peacock perches on a nearby branch, enchanted by the divine music. Beyond is a verdant landscape with a mountain stream, all illuminated by a full moon. This is one of the finest Hindu devotional prints to have been produced in Germany, made on a state-of-the-art chromolithographic press.