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Photo: Elizabeth Mann
Krishna and Radha with a Sakhi
Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Krishna and Radha with a Sakhi

Date1670-80
Label TextThis painting highlights the architectural setting in which the relationship of Krishna and Radha unfolds, under the light of a crescent moon. The luxurious surroundings include plush carpets and a flowering lotus pond. Radha turns not toward her lover but speaks instead to another woman, a companion called a Sakhi, emphasizing the bonds of female kinship. In Rasikapriya devotional poetry, the Sakhi bridges conditions for the human and divine, the erotic and sacred. As Radha’s confidant and advisor, she is potentially also competition for Krishna’s affections and a source for jealousy.
Object number62.91
Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann
Exhibition HistoryBellevue, Washington, Bellevue Art Museum, "Courtyard, Bazaar, Temple: Traditions of Textile Expressions in India" June 11 - July 25, 1982 (6/11/1982 - 7/25/1982) Gainesville, Florida, University Of Florida, University Gallery, "Miniatures and Small Sculptures from India" (1966)
Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection
Dimensions12 x 7 1/8 in. (30.48 x 18.1 cm) Overall h.: 20 in. Overall w.: 15 in.
MediumPaint on paper
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Object number: 51.56
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Object number: 51.57
Palm leaf manuscript of a sacred text
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Object number: 48.24
Illustration for Bhagavata Purana the Rukmini-Haran
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first half 16th century
Object number: 62.89
Photo: Paul Macapia
Iranian
16th century
Object number: 33.1562
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Persian
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Object number: 33.1563
Dennis Evans
1984
Object number: 84.175