Rajasthan
Wood, polychromed
A beautiful pair of painted shutters from a household shrine. The shutter on the left depicts Krishna as Venugopala, standing on a lotus blossom upon a lake. Opposite him, Radha stands upon her own lotus, heavily bejewelled. She offers Krishna the floral garland which she holds. The nearby swans look upon the resplendent figures.
One of the most abiding images in Indian art is that of Krishna the flautist standing with his legs crossed at the ankles and playing the flute. He wears a tall decorative mukuta or crown, a dhoti and various necklaces, bangles and anklets. While other cowherders f Braj hold a shepherd’s staff, Krishna’s staff is also his flute. He, however does not play upon it to please the cows, but to charm the gopis or cowherdesses. Radha is of the Gopis of Vrindavan, who became a central figure of Vaishnava theology and she is considered to be Krishna’s favourite gopi. Radha’s selfless devotion to Krishna is regarded as a model for devotees, and she is also seen as the intermediary between man and God. According to other interpretations, Radha’s love for Krishna symbolizes the human soul’s yearning for God.
Size (cms): 51(H) x 53(W) x 10(D)
Size (inches): 20(H) x 21(W) x 4(D)
