Leaf from a Kalighat album: Krishna Steals the Clothes of the Cowgirls (Gopis) (recto); Das Avataras, Ten Incarnations of Vishnu (verso)
c. 1890
Gum tempera, graphite, ink, and tin on paper; Woodcut, hand colored with gum tempera
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In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of July 2026
Discussion
FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG
In the image on the recto taken from both popular accounts and the Bhagavata Purana , Krishna has stolen the clothes of cowgirls ( gopis ) who are bathing in the Yamuna River, a tributary of the Ganges River. He refuses to return their clothes, the purple saris seen hanging high in the tree, until they come out and bow to him with folded palms. Krishna, a cowherder, is holding a flute, which he uses to lure them away.
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