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An image of Circular dance of Krishna and the 'gopis' by

Unknown Artist

Title
Circular dance of Krishna and the 'gopis'
Other titles:
Rasalila
Circular dance of Krishna and the milkmaids
Place of origin
Bundi → Rajasthan → India
Period
Rajput circa 1500 - 1947 → India
Year
circa 1850
Media categories
Painting, Watercolour
Materials used
opaque watercolour with gold on paper
Dimensions

61.0 x 80.0cm

Signature & date
Not signed. Not dated.
Credit
Purchased 1995
Accession number
216.1995
Location
Not on display
Further information

This painting hums with the joyous melodies and rhythms of ‘bhakti’, total surrender to Lord Krishna. Depicted is the circular dance, the ‘rasalila’, in which each ‘gopi’ imagines that Krishna dances with her alone. In the central orb Krishna and Radha dance in bliss surrounded by peacocks, each flanked by adoring peahens. In an outer ring Krishna dances simultaneously with all the other ‘gopis’, each dressed in their finest robes. Their dance is presented as a glowing mandala within a forest clearing, watched by musicians, holy men and devotees, and blessed with flower petals dispersed from heaven.

‘Goddess: divine energy’, AGNSW 2006, pg.55.

Bibliography (7)

Pratapaditya Pal (Bangladesh; United States of America, b.1935) (Author), Pratapaditya Pal (Bangladesh; United States of America, b.1935) (Editor), Dancing to the flute: music and dance in Indian art, Sydney, 1997, 9 (colour illus.), 94, 96. cat.no. 44c, detail: cat.no. 44d

Margaret Olley Art Trust circa 1994, circa 1994, back (colour illus.).

Bruce James (Australia) (Author), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940) (Director), Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook, Domain, 1999, 294 (colour illus.).

Haema Sivanesan (Australia) (Assistant Curator), Indian Painting, Sydney, 2001. cat.no. 2.28

'New Dimensions', by Jackie Menzies, pg. 54-63., Arts of Asia Nov 2003-Dec 2003, Nov 2003-Dec 2003, 56 (colour illus.). no.4

'Mughals and Maharajas: The Miniature Paintings of Courtly India', The Asian Collections Art Gallery of New South Wales 2003, 2003, 42-43 (colour illus.). The colour illus. on page 43 is a detail of this work.

Jackie Menzies (Australia) (Editor), Goddess: Divine Energy, Sydney, 2006, 54 (colour illus.), 55. cat.no. 31

Exhibition history (3)

Dancing to the flute: music and dance in Indian art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 12 Jun 1997–24 Aug 1997.

Indian Painting, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 06 Apr 2001–11 Jun 2001.

Intimate Encounters: Indian paintings from Australian collections, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 22 Feb 2007–04 May 2007.