Shishupala arguing with Rukmini’s father, Bhishmaka, from a Rukmini Haran (c. 1800): Art, History and Details

Shishupala arguing with Rukmini’s father, Bhishmaka, from a Rukmini Haran (c. 1800) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

One painting from a series depicting stories from the life of the Hindu god Krishna, this scene shows a villain named Shishupala arguing with a king. The king, in purple, sits in front of an embroidered gold cushion. His daughter, Princess Rukmini, is engaged to marry Shishupala, whom she despises and calls a “thieving jackal.” Shishupala is angry, because he heard that Krishna is plotting to kidnap Rukmini and marry her himself. Courtiers look on with concern. The artist shows awareness of Mughal costume, jewelry, and architectural forms, placing this mythological scene in a Mughal court setting.

Object facts

• Title: Shishupala arguing with Rukmini’s father, Bhishmaka, from a Rukmini Haran
• Date: c. 1800
• Culture: Northern India, Pahari kingdoms
• Type: Painting
• Technique: Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
• Dimensions: Image: 21.6 x 30.5 cm (8 1/2 x 12 in.); Overall: 24.5 x 33 cm (9 5/8 x 13 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1984.66

A detail from the museum

Paintings from this series came from the royal collection in the kingom of Garhwal.

Collection credit

Edwin R. and Harriet Pelton Perkins Memorial Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1984.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 72, no. 2 (April 1985): 163–207.

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.