Pendant: Krishna as Shri Nathji (c. 1800–1830): Art, History and Details

Pendant: Krishna as Shri Nathji (c. 1800–1830) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

Diminutive images of Krishna as Shri Nathji were worn by devotees, sometimes secretly in times of persecution. Even in the tiny composition, Krishna’s raised left hand can be seen clearly, referencing his miraculous lifting of Mount Govardhan. In his right arm he holds his herdsman’s staff. Two priests offer lamps in his honor.

Object facts

• Title: Pendant: Krishna as Shri Nathji
• Date: c. 1800–1830
• Culture: Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Nathdwara
• Type: Jewelry
• Technique: champlevé enamel
• Dimensions: Overall: 5.2 x 3.9 cm (2 1/16 x 1 9/16 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1946.257

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Hollis, Howard. "An Indian Enameled Pendant." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 35, no. 2 (February 1948): 18
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.

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.