Northern India, Pahari kingdoms / c. 1790
Krishna being dressed in women’s clothes for the spring festival Holi
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Krishna being dressed in women’s clothes for the spring festival Holi as painting (Northern India, Pahari kingdoms · c. 1790).
A few preliminary patches of color in the foreground indicate the palette intended to be applied to the entire painting.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as Ink and gum tempera on paper.
The museum's collection notes: The Hindu festival of Holi, which celebrates the arrival of spring, is a time of play that encourages reckless joy and abandon. The women cheekily dress Krishna as one of them. Radha, his beloved, takes away his crown and flute. This unfinished work reveals the process of creating an Indian painting. An experienced member of the atelier would have made the drawing and written the color notations before giving it to a colorist to paint.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtKrishna being dressed in women’s clothes for the spring festival HoliOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.