Nathdwara (Rajasthan)
Cotton, painted on pigments
An attractive small Pichhwai depicting eight white cows grouped in a meadow with a lotus and fish filled stream in the foreground. The cows are bedecked and have henna on their horns and hooves. Large handprints painted in saffron henna cover bodies. A floral border surrounds the panel. This pichhwai would have either accompanied a larger pichhwai in a prominent shrine or constituted part of a small domestic shrine.
Gopashtami is a festival that commemorates Krishna’s elevation from a young herder of calves to full cowherd. Krishna grows into the perfect cowherd, the one all the cows heed, answering to the golden strains of his flute. At Nathdwara the cows, decked in their finest, are brought into the haveli. There is a playful spirit about this festival that is well expressed in this pichhwai. The cows, gentle creatures with limpid eyes and expressive ears, are constant reminders of Vraja and Krishna’s childhood occupation as cowherd.
Size (cms): 75(H) x 124(W)
Size (inches): 29.5(H) x 49(W)
