Vasudeva carries the Infant Krishna across the Yamuna River, c. 1720
Unknown artist, Indiaexpand_more
Opaque watercolor on paperexpand_more
The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fundexpand_more 93.3
Not on Viewexpand_more
This charmingly naive picture illustrates the scene from the Bhagavata Purana that occurs immediately after Krishna's birth. Because Kamsa, the wicked king of Mathura, threatened Krishna's life, the baby's father, Vasudeva, secretly took him to the countryside as soon as he was born. Here, rain falls from a dark night like strings of pearls. The swollen Jumna river threatens, but the multiheaded serpent Vasuki rises up to shield Vasudeva and his infant son from the downpour. The father struggles to cross the swirling torrent, shown here running diagonally to the left, while a roaring tiger offers protection on the opposite bank. After his foster parents, Yasoda and Nanda, raise Krishna, he returns to Mathura and slays King Kamsa.
Details
- Title
- Vasudeva carries the Infant Krishna across the Yamuna River
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 93.3
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know
Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.