Krishna Steals the Gopis’ Clothing: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana Manuscript

Krishna Steals the Gopis’ Clothing: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana Manuscript

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This early Mewari manuscript tells of Krishna’s exploits as recounted in the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana. Here, the young Krishna has stolen the Gopis’ clothing while they were bathing and is shown sitting in a kadamba tree teasing the naked cowherdesses shivering in the cold water. As in many sections of this text, social conventions and family obligations are challenged, as the true devotee must abandon all attachments in order to be one with God. The vitality and color palette of the compositions in this manuscript link them to the painting traditions of Malwa, while the early figures types are analogous to those of Gujarat.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Krishna Steals the Gopis’ Clothing: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana ManuscriptKrishna Steals the Gopis’ Clothing: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana ManuscriptKrishna Steals the Gopis’ Clothing: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana ManuscriptKrishna Steals the Gopis’ Clothing: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana ManuscriptKrishna Steals the Gopis’ Clothing: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana Manuscript

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.