Krishna kills his uncle, the tyrant ruler Kamsa
Painting
ca. 1590 (made)
ca. 1590 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Mughal emperor Akbar had the primary Sanskrit texts translated into Persian, the language of the court and of the elite of the empire. This page is from a translation of the Harivamsha, which describes the origins of the cosmos and the legendary history of kings leading up to the birth and life of Lord Krishna. It is associated with the Mahabharata. The translation was done in about 1590. In this episode Krishna drags his uncle Kamsa, the tyrant king of Mathura, by his hair from his throne. He then kills him.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Krishna kills his uncle, the tyrant ruler Kamsa (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, Harivamsha, Krishna kills his uncle the tyrant ruler Kamsa, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590 |
| Physical description | Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Krishna kills Kamsa, illustration from a manuscript of the Harivamsha. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Content description | Krishna kills Raja Kansa. |
| Style | |
| Gallery label | KRISHNA KILLS KAMSA
Illustration to the Harivamsha, or Genealogy of Hari
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Mughal
c. 1590
IS.3-1970
Bequeathed by the Hon. Dame Ada Mcnaghten
The Harivamsha describes the creation of the cosmos and the legendary history of kings leading up to the birth of Lord Krishna. Akbar ordered a translation of the Sanskrit text into Persian, the cultural language of the court and official language of the imperial administration, so that his Muslim subjects could read it. Here Krishna drags his uncle, the tyrant ruler of Mathura, from his throne before killing him.(01/08/2017) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by the Hon. Dame Ada Macnaghten |
| Object history | Bequeathed by the Hon. Dame Ada Macnaghten |
| Historical context | Akbar had the major Sanskrit texts of the Hindu traditino translated into Persian and these were then illustrated by the court artists. The Harivamsa is an epic devoted to Krishna and appended to the Mahabharata |
| Production | The borders were added later, probably in Lucknow in the 18th century. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The Mughal emperor Akbar had the primary Sanskrit texts translated into Persian, the language of the court and of the elite of the empire. This page is from a translation of the Harivamsha, which describes the origins of the cosmos and the legendary history of kings leading up to the birth and life of Lord Krishna. It is associated with the Mahabharata. The translation was done in about 1590. In this episode Krishna drags his uncle Kamsa, the tyrant king of Mathura, by his hair from his throne. He then kills him. |
| Associated object | IS.3:2-1970 (Verso) |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.3-1970 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 13, 2009 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
