Krishna Battles the Armies of the Demon Naraka

Krishna Battles the Armies of the Demon Naraka: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of Lord Vishnu), ca. 1520–30; Chaurapanchasika
Deli-Agra area, India
Ink and opaque watercolor on paper; 7 x 9 1/8 in. (17.78 x 23.18 cm)
Purchase, Lita Annenberg Hazen Charitable Trust Gift, 1985 (1985.34)

Description

The later history of painting in India revolves around interests very different from those associated with the earlier palm-leaf manuscript tradition. Format and medium changed, and subject matter was greatly expanded. The first chapter in this later history is extremely provocative in that it concerns a group of fully developed indigenous Indian styles practiced prior to the establishment of the great court ateliers of the Mughal dynasty (1586–1857) in the second half of the sixteenth century. These styles have been accepted as having enough in common to constitute a basic pictorial idiom free of Mughal influence. The pre-Mughal style is represented by a group of manuscripts and individual paintings often referred to as the "Chaurapanchasika" group, after a Sanskrit manuscript of lyric love poems. A small group of rare illustrated manuscripts datable from around 1515 to 1575 has been associated with the Chaurapanchasika style. One of these manuscripts, perhaps as well known as the one for which the series was named, is an illustrated excerpt from the great Hindu epic, the "Bhagavata Purana" (Ancient Story of God). For its texts the Hindu religion relies on a body of ancient works that developed through the centuries and incorporates elaborate theological commentary and a wealth of complex legends. Books Ten and Eleven of the "Bhagavata Purana" are the source for the life of Krishna. The manuscript has been dated to around 1520–30 on the basis of stylistic extrapolation. Pre-Mughal styles have a freshness, vivacity, and vitality that make them particularly appealing. Working with a limited palette and a relatively naive sense of composition and figural arrangement, the artists produced pictures of enormous charm and directness. The page seen here displays the bold patterning, large areas of contrasting flat colors, and sense of two-dimensionality common to the illustrations in this manuscript. It is one of the more lively and accomplished of the set.