Krishna Adoring Radha's Hair in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, June 2018

Krishna Adorning Radha's Hair (Primary Title)

Unknown (Artist)

Date: ca. 1815-20

Culture: Indian

Category: Paintings, Works On Paper

Medium: opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Collection: South Asian Art

Geography: Punjab Hills, Kangra region, India

Dimensions: Sheet: 8 7/8 × 6 3/8 in. (22.54 × 16.19 cm)
Mount: 11 1/8 × 8 1/2 in. (28.26 × 21.59 cm)
Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.64 cm)

Object Number: 68.8.82

Writers and artists never tired of describing every detail of Krishna and Radha’s romantic dalliances. While titillating, these encounters were also profound theological statements about the soul’s passionate desire for union with God. Here, as part of their love play, the blue-skinned deity toys with Radha’s long, raven-black tresses and a string of pearls as she places an ornament on her ear. They sit on a soft bed of leaves beside a forest stream. Trees laden with feathery green foliage and delicate flowering creepers surround them. The delightful style of this picture is typical of the soft, lyrical painting idiom developed in the hill state of Kangra.


Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-8083007