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Krishna asks for sweets, from a Sursagar of Surdas (Indian, c. 1480–1580)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The heart of the scene is at the lower right, where the blue Hindu god Krishna as a boy is trying to persuade his foster mother Yashoda to give him more food. He is in the process of telling her that he needs extra treats so he can grow big to accomplish all the exploits depicted in the remainder of the page: herding cattle, killing demons, defeating wrestlers, and finally winning the throne of Mathura, as seen in the upper right where he sits crowned king in place of his evil uncle Kamsa.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineKrishna asks for sweets, from a Sursagar of Surdas (Indian, c. 1480–1580), 1705–10. Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Mewar. Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; overall: 36.5 x 25.4 cm (14 3/8 x 10 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Dr. Norman Zaworski, 1984.172