Krishna

mid 18th century

Painting in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Krishna is shown with blue skin and a halo, standing in the centre of a gathering of cow-herd girls (gopis) some of whom raise peacock-feather fans over him. Radha stands on one side of him, offering him a pan (betel quid). Krishna's raised finger recalls his pose when lifting up Mount Govardhan to shelter the cowherds from the rain sent by the rival god Indra. The scene takes place in a wooded grove, with a lotus pond or stream in the foreground.