Skip to main content
Advanced Search
Krishna and Radha Exchange Clothes, page from a Sursagar manuscript
Krishna and Radha Exchange Clothes, page from a Sursagar manuscript

Krishna and Radha Exchange Clothes, page from a Sursagar manuscript

Maker
Datelate 18th century
MediumOpaque watercolors and gold on paper
Dimensions7 1/2 x 5 1/8 inches (19.1 x 13 cm)
CultureIndia
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift of Wolf Ladejinsky
Terms
  • Paintings
  • Gouache
  • Animals
  • Birds
  • Bodies of water
  • Clouds
  • Hills
  • Hinduism
  • Krishna
  • Peacocks
  • Pigs
  • Religion
  • Trees
  • Vishnu
  • Paper
  • Indian
Object number74.060.004
Label CopyOriginally part of a manuscript, this page (like many religious texts and images) is now presented in isolation. Creating an individual object for study and appreciation sparks complex university discussions. The watercolor features the Hindu deity Krishna and his lover. Radha, a gopi or cow herder, became one of his most devoted followers. Blue-skinned Krishna, donning Radha’s sari, sits under a tree and watches Radha approach from the right. She wears Krishna’s accessories, including his peacock crown. Two women point and talk about the scene, and cows and egrets also take notice. In an attempt to see oneself in another, the divine couple exchanged clothes and effectively “walked around in another’s shoes.” ("This is no Less Curious: Journeys through the Collection" cocurated by Sonja Gandert, Alexandra Palmer, and Alana Ryder and presented at the Johnson Museum January 24 - April 12, 2015)
Collections