Krishna Stroking Radha's Feet (verso), from a Kalighat album (c. 1890): Art, History and Details

Krishna Stroking Radha's Feet (verso), from a Kalighat album (c. 1890) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Appeased by Krishna’s flattery, Radha sits in a chair coyly holding the cloth covering her head. According to popular stories about the couple, Radha often experiences longing for him while they are separated and jealousy for his love affairs with other cowgirls (gopis). Here Krishna is imploring her to forgive him for his transgressions.

Object facts

• Title: Krishna Stroking Radha's Feet (verso), from a Kalighat album
• Date: c. 1890
• Culture: Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat
• Type: Painting
• Technique: Gum tempera, graphite, and ink on paper
• Dimensions: Secondary Support: 47.6 x 29.2 cm (18 3/4 x 11 1/2 in.); Painting only: 45.4 x 27.9 cm (17 7/8 x 11 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 2003.133.b

Collection credit

Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.