Collection
/
Asian Art

Kama and Rati Witness the Reunion of Krishna and Radha, Page from a Gita Govinda Series

Indian

1 of 2

Object Label

The Gita Govinda is a poem written by the twelfth-century poet Jayadeva. It describes the tumultuous love between the god Krishna and the milkmaid Radha. With its melding of romantic and religious sentiments, the Gita Govinda explores an important form of bhakti (devotion), in which a worshipper’s intense relationship with god is compared to a passionate love affair. This illustration from the poem shows Krishna three times: alone; cavorting with a group of women; and then finally reunited with his beloved Radha.

Caption

Indian. Kama and Rati Witness the Reunion of Krishna and Radha, Page from a Gita Govinda Series, 1714. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, sheet: 10 x 16 15/16 in. (25.4 x 43.0 cm); image: 8 7/8 x 15 5/8 in. (22.5 x 39.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anthony A. Manheim, 1999.136.6. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

Asian Art

Culture

Indian

Title

Kama and Rati Witness the Reunion of Krishna and Radha, Page from a Gita Govinda Series

Date

1714

Geography

Place made: Rajasthan, India

Medium

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Classification

Painting

Dimensions

sheet: 10 x 16 15/16 in. (25.4 x 43.0 cm); image: 8 7/8 x 15 5/8 in. (22.5 x 39.7 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Anthony A. Manheim

Accession Number

1999.136.6

Frequent Art Questions

  • Why is the color blue particularly important for representing gods in Hindu art ? Why not yellow or green? Are other colors associated with something else? Cheers- Claudia from Germany.

    Many Hindu gods are blue, including Vishnu in several of his forms. This is the color he has traditionally been described as in Hindu texts. Some scholars believe that the color is a reference to his home above the clouds. His blue skin could also reference a primordial ocean similarly linked textually to Vishnu, which existed before the gods are said to have created land and the creatures who live on it. Some of the other blue deities you see in Hinduism are actually earthly avatars of Vishnu, and are blue because they are part of the same god. However, this is not true of all blue Hindu gods.
    Thanks a lot, this service is great!

Have information?

Have information about an artwork? Contact us at

bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org.

Artists and makers

Indian

312 works in the collection