Krishna Accepts an Offering from the Hunchbacked Woman Trivakra: Page from a Bhagavata Purana Series

Krishna Accepts an Offering from the Hunchbacked Woman Trivakra: Page from a Bhagavata Purana Series

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

While traveling, Krishna encounters the hunchbacked woman Trivakra and notices the wonderful ointments she made for the evil king Kamsa. Overcome by his presence, Trivakra offers the ointments to Krishna, who straightens her crooked back and transforms her into a perfectly proportioned, beautiful woman. The story illustrates Krishna’s miraculous nature and Trivakra’s devotion, which is ultimately manifest as her passionate desire for god. Drawing on earlier painting styles of western India, the Malwa artist reduced the narrative to its essentials, presenting only the brightly lit protagonists against an intense red ground, banded by a darkened skyline.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Krishna Accepts an Offering from the Hunchbacked Woman Trivakra: Page from a Bhagavata Purana SeriesKrishna Accepts an Offering from the Hunchbacked Woman Trivakra: Page from a Bhagavata Purana SeriesKrishna Accepts an Offering from the Hunchbacked Woman Trivakra: Page from a Bhagavata Purana SeriesKrishna Accepts an Offering from the Hunchbacked Woman Trivakra: Page from a Bhagavata Purana SeriesKrishna Accepts an Offering from the Hunchbacked Woman Trivakra: Page from a Bhagavata Purana Series

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.