ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Gopis Plead with Krishna to Return Their Clothing: Folio from "Isarda" Bhagavata Purana

ca. 1560–65
Not on view
Perhaps the greatest of the pre-Mughal Hindu manuscripts known, this edition of the Bhagavata Purana is admired for its pictorial sophistication, its animated narration, and above all, its sheer joie de vivre. This painting captures the essence of the text, which recounts Krishna’s amorous water-sports with the gopis (cowherds). Krishna sits in a tree, the robes of the women fluttering from his shoulder, as the dark lord reaches out to touch them, all and one together. They gaze with warm love-laden eyes and gesture devotion, praying for union with their lord. Hindu devotional worship (bhakti) had rarely been so passionately expressed in manuscript painting. Stylistically, this series evolved from the Caurapancasika group of paintings and forms a bridge with the emerging hybridity represented by the Tutinama. It displays a complex spatial rendering of a river in landscape, which can be traced to sculptural reliefs of the first century but here flows unchecked off the edge of the page, defying the composition’s own frame.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Gopis Plead with Krishna to Return Their Clothing: Folio from "Isarda" Bhagavata Purana
  • Artist: Master of the "Isarda" Bhagavata Purana
  • Date: ca. 1560–65
  • Culture: North India (Delhi -Agra area)
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor and ink on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 7 3/8 × 10 1/8 in. (18.7 × 25.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of The H. Rubin Foundation Inc., 1972
  • Object Number: 1972.260
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
"Blindman’s Buff: the Demon Pralambha Carries Balarama on His Shoulder," Folio from the dispersed "Isarda" Bhagavata Purana (The Ancient Story of God), Opaque watercolor and mica on paper
Returned to lender
"Blindman’s Buff: the Demon Pralambha Carries Balarama on His Shoulder," Folio from the dispersed "Isarda" Bhagavata Purana (The Ancient Story of God)
1560–1565
Battle Scene, Opaque watercolor on paper
Returned to lender
Battle Scene
ca. 1520–30
Futuh al-Haramayn (Description of the Holy Cities), Muhi al-Din Lari Iranian or Indian, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Futuh al-Haramayn (Description of the Holy Cities)
Muhi al-Din Lari
dated 1089 AH/1678 CE
"Husayn at the Bedside of the Dying Hasan", Folio from a Hadiqat al-Su'ada of Fuzuli (Garden of the Blessed), Fuzuli, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Husayn at the Bedside of the Dying Hasan", Folio from a Hadiqat al-Su'ada of Fuzuli (Garden of the Blessed)
Fuzuli
late 16th century
Great Indian Fruit Bat, Bhawani Das or a follower Indian, Pencil, ink, and opaque watercolor on paper
Great Indian Fruit Bat
Bhawani Das
ca. 1777–82

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Showing 4 of 7

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.