Krishna and Balarama depart Vrindavan
This print depicts the Krishna and his half-brother Balarama departing Vrindavan, the village that served as their childhood home. At a youthful age, Krishna had decided to leave Vrindavan and go to Mathura, his birthplace, to fulfill his mission of killing his evil uncle, the usurper king Kansa. The carriage resembles a temple festival car (ratha), with its architectonic towers, fluttering pennants and solid wood wheels. It is drawn by a pair of horses driven by a Brahmin standing astride the horses. The gopis are distressed at Krishna’s departure, one appearing to have collapsed, another lying prostrate.
Prints of this type represent a transitional moment from Kalighat painted watercolor pictures to the new technology offered by the lithographic presses. Here we see the composition printed in black ink and then hand colored with watercolor washes. The inscription names both the artist and his location, at Kalighat.
Prints of this type represent a transitional moment from Kalighat painted watercolor pictures to the new technology offered by the lithographic presses. Here we see the composition printed in black ink and then hand colored with watercolor washes. The inscription names both the artist and his location, at Kalighat.
Artwork Details
- Title: Krishna and Balarama depart Vrindavan
- Artist: Becharam Das Dutta
- Date: dated equivalent to 1856
- Culture: West Bengal, Calcutta, Kalighat
- Medium: Lithograph printed in black, with watercolor and selectively applied glaze
- Dimensions: Sheet: 16 3/8 × 11 1/8 in. (41.6 × 28.3 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Mark Baron and Elise Boisanté, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.325.3
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Becharam Das Dutta
August 26, 1856
Becharam Das Dutta
dated equivalent to July 20, 1856
Shib Gobin Lal
ca. 1870–80
Sasadhar Banarjee
ca. 1875–85
G. C. Dass
Unidentified artist
ca. 1880–85 (recto); ca. 1875–85 (verso)
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