Untitled

Unknown

ca. 1540 · Opaque watercolor and ink on paper · Asian Art

This painting is from a series illustrating climactic moments in Book 10 of the Bhagavata Purana, which celebrates the exploits of the young Krishna. The composition depicts Bhima slaying the evil ruler of Magadha, King Jarasandha, who is torn apart in a wrestling match, witnessed by Krishna. The work belongs to one of the earliest known Sultanate-period illustrated Hindu manuscripts, distinguished by the use of intense flat color and a distinctive figure-type with wondrous pronounced eyes.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1540

Medium

Opaque watercolor and ink on paper

Culture

Northern India, Delhi or Agra region

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, 1985