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Krishna Steals the Clothes of the Cowgirls (Gopis) (recto), from a Kalighat album
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In this image taken from both popular accounts and the Bhagavata Purana , Krishna has stolen the clothes of cowgirls ( gopis ) who are bathing in the Yamuna River, a tributary of the Ganges River. He refuses to return their clothes, the purple saris seen hanging high in the tree, until they come out and bow to him with folded palms. Krishna, a cowherder, is holding a flute, which he uses to lure them away.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineKrishna Steals the Clothes of the Cowgirls (Gopis) (recto), from a Kalighat album, c. 1890. Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat. Gum tempera, graphite, ink, and tin on paper; secondary support: 48.5 x 29.9 cm (19 1/8 x 11 3/4 in.); painting only: 45.5 x 28 cm (17 15/16 x 11 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward, 2003.114.a
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