Krishna playing his flute in a field of colorful geometric patterns and stylized plants. Original hand drawn and painted artwork on handmade paper from the Madhubani region of India. Artist unknown. Read more about the history, styles and techniques of Madhubani art.
- Medium / technique -Vegetable dyes, paint, and ink on handmade paper
- Size - With frame is 36" x 24", artwork without frame is 30" x 20"
- Frame style - Gilt wood beaded frame with conservation grade acrylic glazing that protects the artwork from 99% of UV rays. Read more on how to care for your artwork.
- Backing – 100 % cotton muslin in beige
Subject Matter Details
The artist has taken an original approach to her depiction of Krishna, showing the god in a field of shapes and colors that converge into the shape of the eye of a peacock feather, which is one of the attributes of Krishna (peacock meaning all-knowing or all seeing).
Krishna is one of the most widely revered of Hindu deities and is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness and love. He is an incarnation of the god Vishnu, one of the supreme deities, and the first reference to a version of Krishna goes back 2500 years to the 5th/6th century BCE.
The symbolism of Krishna playing his flute is varied but for religious devotes the flute represents how one must empty themselves to be filled with the love of Krishna and totally surrender to him to be his instrument.
The Bhagavat Purana (Hindu text dating to roughly 1200 years ago) tells of Krishna as a young and gentle cowherder who used his flute to herd cattle. The Purana also recounts the magical abilities of the flute and how anyone who heard Krishna playing would be mesmerized or fall into divine rapture.