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King Bana in his court, from an Usha-Aniruddha
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This portrait of a demon king depicts him listening to the report of one of his ministers. He may be hearing the news that his daughter Usha has been secretly receiving Krishna’s grandson Aniruddha in her bedchamber. The artist has depicted Bana with his 20 arms emerging like tentacles from his body. The members of his multicolored demon court are imaginatively rendered combinations of beasts and humans. In the background, demons harass holy men by burning their huts and chasing them away from their settlements.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineKing Bana in his court, from an Usha-Aniruddha, c. 1760–70. Northern India, Pahari kingdoms. Gum tempera and ink on paper; overall: 21.9 x 32.1 cm (8 5/8 x 12 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Clara Taplin Rankin, 1986.62
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