Circular dance of Krishna and the gopis, circa 1850 ::

Details

Other Titles: Rasalila
Circular dance of Krishna and the milkmaids
Place where the work was made: Bundi → Rajasthan → India
Period: Rajput circa 1500 - 1947 → India
Date: circa 1850
Media categories: Painting , Watercolour
Materials used: opaque watercolour with gold on paper
Dimensions: 61.0 x 80.0 cm
Signature & date: Not signed. Not dated.
Credit: Purchased 1995
Location: Not on display
Accession number: 216.1995
Copyright: Reproduction requests
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About

This painting hums with the joyous melodies and rhythms of ‘bhakti’, total surrender to Lord Krishna. Depicted is the circular dance, the ‘rasalila’, in which each ‘gopi’ imagines that Krishna dances with her alone. In the central orb Krishna and Radha dance in bliss surrounded by peacocks, each flanked by adoring peahens. In an outer ring Krishna dances simultaneously with all the other ‘gopis’, each dressed in their finest robes. Their dance is presented as a glowing mandala within a forest clearing, watched by musicians, holy men and devotees, and blessed with flower petals dispersed from heaven.

‘Goddess: divine energy’, AGNSW 2006, pg.55.

Exhibition history

Shown in 4 exhibitions

Dancing to the flute: music and dance in Indian art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 12 Jun 1997–24 Aug 1997
Indian Painting, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 06 Apr 2001–11 Jun 2001
Goddess: Divine Energy, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 13 Oct 2006–28 Jan 2007
Intimate Encounters: Indian paintings from Australian collections, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 22 Feb 2007–04 May 2007

Bibliography

Referenced in 7 publications

B.N. Goswamy, Goddess: Divine Energy, 'Radha: from beloved to goddess', pg. 43-65, Sydney, 2006, 54 (colour illus.), 55. cat.no. 31
Bruce James, Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook, 'Asian Collection: South Asia', pg. 288-297, Sydney, 1999, 294 (colour illus.).
Jackie Menzies (Editor), The Asian Collections Art Gallery of New South Wales, 'Mughals and Maharajas: The Miniature Paintings of Courtly India', Sydney, 2003, 42-43 (colour illus.). The colour illus. on page 43 is a detail of this work.
Jackie Menzies, Arts of Asia, 'New Dimensions', pg. 54-63, Hong Kong, Nov 2003-Dec 2003, 56 (colour illus.). no.4
Pratapaditya Pal and Pratapaditya Pal, Dancing to the flute: music and dance in Indian art, Sydney, 1997, 9 (colour illus.), 94, 96. cat.no. 44c, detail: cat.no. 44d
Haema Sivanesan, Indian painting, 'Indian Painting', verso of poster., Sydney, 2001. cat.no. 2.28
Editor Unknown (Editor), Margaret Olley Art Trust, Sydney, circa 1994, back (colour illus.).

Provenance

The provenance of this work is under review and records will be updated as new details become available. The Gallery welcomes any information. Contact provenance@ag.nsw.gov.au

Art of the Past, pre Jun 1995, United States of America