Untitled

Unknown

early 18th century · Opaque pigments on cotton · Asian Art

This painting depicts a major religious festival celebrating Krishna as Lord of the Universe (Jagannatha) at his temple in Puri, in Odisha (Orissa), eastern India. In the central image one of the kings of the Kathmandu Valley worships Krishna, who is accompanied by his sister Sudhadra and half-brother Balabhadra (Balarama). The divine triad are represented in a uniquely Odishan style that signals this imagery’s localized tribal origins. A spectacularly large composition, the painting is a rare pictorial record of Nepalese royal patronage alluding to pilgrimage to the Jagannatha temple in Odisha. Only two Nepalese works depicting this subject are known. The other, dated 1670, incorporates an inscribed portrait of the Bhaktapur king Jagatprakasa-malla (r. 1643–72).

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 18th century

Medium

Opaque pigments on cotton

Culture

Nepal

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, Gift of Bette-Ann and William Spielman, by exchange, Richard Greenbaum and The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation Funds, and funds from various donors, 2019