Skip Navigation

Krishna and Balarama on Their way to Mathura, Folio from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana Series

Asian Art

This is an illustration from the Bhagavata Purana, a lengthy Hindu scripture dedicated to the god Krishna, who is said to have lived on earth as a prince. It depicts an episode from Krishna’s youth, much of which was spent in hiding in the cowherding community of Vrindavan. Eventually he had to leave this idyllic rural setting and return to his family’s kingdom at Mathura, where his evil uncle was ruling unjustly. Krishna (with blue skin) is shown here at the far right with his brother, Balarama (with white skin), riding an oxcart on their way to Mathura. They are accompanied by a group of devotees and along the way encounter religious ascetics, some of whom are bathing in the river.
CULTURE Indian
MEDIUM Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
  • Place Made: Punjab Hills, India
  • DATES ca. 1725
    DIMENSIONS sheet: 9 1/2 x 12 in. (24.1 x 30.5 cm) image: 8 x 10 5/8 in. (20.3 x 27.0 cm)  (show scale)
    INSCRIPTIONS On reverse: The cowherds became amused (or, inquisitive?) Accompanied by (cowherds) they (Balarama and Krishna) went to Ambikavan. To the Lord. . . .They worshipped the Devi who is the mistress of Ambikavan with great devotion. Passage is numbered 77. From catalogue: Verso, at center, near lower edge, in black ink, in Devanagari script: 77
    COLLECTIONS Asian Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 69.125.4
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Manheim
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Indian. Krishna and Balarama on Their way to Mathura, Folio from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana Series, ca. 1725. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, sheet: 9 1/2 x 12 in. (24.1 x 30.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Manheim, 69.125.4 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.125.4_after_treatment_IMLS_SL2.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 69.125.4_after_treatment_IMLS_SL2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT No known copyright restrictions
    This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement. You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.