Krishna entertains his companions
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1760-1765
notes: label: School/Tradition
content: Guler or Chamba school
label: Label
content: Pastoral images of a musical Krishna among his childhood cowherding community are popular in Hindu visual culture. The scene embodies Krishna bhakti, a form of devotionalism that emphasizes the personal relationship with a god who is both transcendent and accessible. Highlighted against a black ground and sheltered by lush trees, Krishna and his gently smiling companions are joyful. Devoted cows and a sleeping calf surround them. Throughout devotional poetry, Krishna and the Vrindaban cows have a special relationship: the village cows seek out Krishna's affection and refuse to be milked by anyone but the god.
label: Label
content: The verso features a drawing in black and red ink of a kneeling courtier in profile. The head above the ear (which would have been on the back of the original border) has been cropped where the original border has been cut off. A margin of a thin black line remains.
label: Provenance
content: To 1968
label: Provenance
content: Sri Ram Gopal, Vijaivargia, Jaipur, India.
label: Provenance
content: 1968
label: Provenance
content: Sale, London, Christie, Manson & Woods, Important Autograph Letters Manuscripts and Drawings Oriental Miniatures and Manuscripts, December 18, 1968, lot no. 111: “Krishna Plays his Flute.” [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1968 to 2001
label: Provenance
content: Ralph Benkaim, (1914-2001), Beverly Hills, California, purchased at auction by Maggs on behalf of Ralph Benkaim, Christie, Manson & Woods, “Important Autograph Letters Manuscripts and Drawings Oriental Miniatures and Manuscripts,” December 18, 1968, lot no. 111: “Krishna Plays his Flute.” [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 2001 to 2018
label: Provenance
content: Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, by inheritance from Ralph Benkaim in 2001. [3]
label: Provenance
content: From 2018
label: Provenance
content: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim. [4]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] See auction catalogue from Christie’s, London, “Important Autograph Letters Manuscripts and Drawings Oriental Miniatures and Manuscripts.”
label: Provenance
content: [2] Ralph Benkaim purchased the painting in December 1968 from Christie’s, London, several years before paintings were classified as antiquities by the Indian government, according to his personal records, obtained via Catherine Glynn Benkaim. A telegram from Maggs 18 December 1968 to Mr. Benkaim indicates that Maggs made the purchase on Mr. Benkaim’s behalf.
label: Provenance
content: [3] See Acquisition Justification Form, object file, Collections Management Office.
label: Provenance
content: [4] See note 3.
label: Collection
content: National Museum of Asian Art Collection
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Sri Ram Gopal Vijaivargia (1905-2003)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Ralph and Catherine Benkaim
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Catherine Glynn Benkaim (born 1946)
place: label: Origin
content: Guler or Chamba, Himachal Pradesh state, India
topic: label: Topic
content: Krishna
label: Topic
content: flute
label: Topic
content: cow
label: Topic
content: India
label: Topic
content: South Asian and Himalayan Art
label: Topic
content: Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection
setName: label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the National Museum of Asian Art
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: S2018.1.8
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (overall): 11.5 × 16.4 cm (4 1/2 × 6 7/16 in)