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Churning of the Sea of Milk
Churning of the Sea of Milk

Churning of the Sea of Milk

Date1730-40
Maker Indian
Label TextThe crux of this story concerns two rival gods and demigods, the devas and the asuras, who churn the sea using a mountain peak and a snake to extract amrita (the elixir of life), which bestows immortality and higher knowledge. In the process, other gems and treasures appear, at the top of this painting, including the wish-granting cow and the divine flowering tree. This standard iconography comes from the Bhagavata Purana, a subsection of the Mahabharata, a major Sanskrit epic that revolves around two warring families. While the icons and framework of this story might have varying degrees of familiarity to viewers, this picture invites you to ruminate on the emergence of divine nectar and celestial life.
Object number52.141
Exhibition HistoryLos Angeles, California, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Art of Greater India, 1950. San Francisco, California, San Francisco Museum of Art, Art in Asia and the West, 1957. Gainesville, Florida, University of Florida Gallery, Miniatures and Small Sculptures From India, 1966. Tacoma, Washington, Pacific Lutheran University, 1969. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Luminous: The Art of Asia, Oct. 13, 2011 - Jan. 8, 2012. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view July 16 - Dec. 5, 2021].Published ReferencesTrubner, Henry. "The Art of Greater India." Los Angeles County Museum, (1950), no. 121, pp. 70-71 Ross, Nancy Wilson. "Three Ways of Asian Wisdom," (1966), p. 47, pl. 38 Trubner, Henry, and Wm. Jay Rathbun, Catherine A. Kaputa. "Asiatic Art in the Seattle Art Museum." Seattle Art Museum, (1973), no. 47, p. 117 Archer, W. G. and Edwin Binney III. "Rajput Miniatures from the Collecion of Edwin Binney 3rd." Portland Art Museum, (1968), no. 74, pp. 96-97 Leach, Linda York. "Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings." The Cleveland Museum of Art, Indiana University Press, (1986), no. 108, pp. 268-269 Poster, Amy G. with Sheila R. Canby, Pramod Chandra and Joan M. Cummins. "Realms of Heroism: Indian Paintings at the Brooklyn Museum." New York: Hudson Hills Press, (1994), pp. 242-243
Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Sherman Lee
Dimensions8 7/16 x 6 1/4 in. (21.5 x 15.8 cm)
MediumWatercolor on paper
Image Not Available for Rubbing from sculptured reliefs: Roll 7; Churning Sea of Milk
Rubbing from sculptured reliefs: Roll 7; Churning Sea of Milk
12th century
Object number: 62.76.7
Photo: Paul Macapia
Sea, Fish and Constellation
Morris Graves
1943
Object number: 45.12
Amir Khusrau the poet receives his friend Ali
Amir Khusrau the poet receives his friend Ali
Indian
ca. 1450
Object number: 63.39
Image Not Available for Two Warriors with Bows and Arrows
Two Warriors with Bows and Arrows
Indian
late 18th century
Object number: 63.40
Game Bird; Hunting scene
Game Bird; Hunting scene
Indian
17th century
Object number: 59.45
Photo: Elizabeth Mann
Portrait of Raja Chattar Singh of Chamba
Indian
ca. 1685
Object number: 44.44
Nobleman and Reader with Attendants
Nobleman and Reader with Attendants
Indian
probably 16th century
Object number: 40.34
Photo: Paul Macapia
Hunting Scene from the Akbarnama (with border from the Farhangi-Jahangiri dictionary manuscript)
Indian
late 16th century
Object number: 45.69
Portrait of Shah Aurangzeb with a man, possibly Ashraf Khan
Portrait of Shah Aurangzeb with a man, possibly Ashraf Khan
Indian
early 18th century
Object number: 38.154
Portrait of Prince Khurram (Shah Jahan)
Portrait of Prince Khurram (Shah Jahan)
Indian
first quarter 17th century
Object number: 44.650
Elephant and mahout (elephant driver)
Elephant and mahout (elephant driver)
Indian
ca. 1595-1600
Object number: 57.78
Falcon
Falcon
Indian
17th century
Object number: 57.79