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Krishna as envoy (Krishna Shistai)

1906
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 251
This print depicts a scene from the Hindu epic the Mahabharata, in which Krishna visits the royal court of the Kaurava clan at Hasinapura in a futile attempt to avert open conflict between the Kauravas and their cousins, the Pandavas. However, upon his arrival, Krishna is treated with scorn and contempt, and the Kauravas try to take him captive. Krishna is shown here seated; he is restraining the arm of his devotee, Satyaki, who has drawn his sword in Krishna’s defense. The event incites the war that culminates in the tragic battle of Kurukshetra. Ravi Varma has styled this work in the tradition of Victorian history paintings.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Krishna as envoy (Krishna Shistai)
  • Artist: Raja Ravi Varma (Indian, 1848–1907)
  • Date: 1906
  • Culture: India, Karla-Lonavla, Maharashtra
  • Medium: Chromolithograph on paper
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 20 × 14 in. (50.8 × 35.6 cm)
    Image: 19 1/8 × 13 7/8 in. (48.6 × 35.2 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of John and Fausta Eskenazi, 2025
  • Object Number: 2025.269.11
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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