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8. Krishna with Rukmini and Satyabhama Nepal, Kathmandu Valley 16th century Gray stone with remains of puja Height: 33 in. (83.8 cm.) |
This elaborately carved image of Krishna is particularly delightful. Intricately rendered foliage, birds, animals and figures are intertwined beautifully around the central figure to form a harmonious composition of abundance. Monkeys hidden in the trees, and elegant birds perched on the branches throughout are extraordinarily charming. The focal point, however, is Krishna himself who stands in a graceful contraposto beneath the leafy branches of the wish-fulfilling tree of life (kalpaviksha), a cosmic symbol of wisdom. Although his distinctive posture is like that of Chintamani Lokesvara, a form of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara who is important in Newari Buddhism, the present figure is identified as the Hindu deity Krishna by the flute (now broken) which is held in his primary hands. [1] Additionally, the presence of Krishna’s wives, Rukmini and Satyabhama, flanking him, a pair of cows carved on the bottom corners, and water delineated in low relief beneath his feet, further confirm that this is indeed Krishna. [2] As is typical of the regional Newari style, the youthful god wears a sheer, patterned dhoti, the excess fabric of which unfurls above his richly jeweled belt. His arms, ankles and torso are decorated by large, foliate-motif jewelry, and a long garland of beautifully rendered flowers hangs from his neck. Behind an elaborate foliate crown, the god’s hair is piled into a tall chignon, and surrounding his head, a nimbus decorated by a leafy pattern attests to his divine status. Sensitively rendered, Krishna’s facial features are composed in a gentle, beatific expression as he enchants his attendants with music. An unusual iconographic element is the presence of six additional arms, each bearing an attribute including a noose, mace, bow and arrow, flower and elephant goad. It is interesting to note that both Hindu and Buddhist iconography were often portrayed by a similar aesthetic in Nepal. This was due to the fact that the country was a region where both religions successfully coexisted so much so that there began to exist an amalgam of the two faiths that was unusually localized. In particular, between the thirteenth century and the Malla period, the cult of Krishna grew rapidly in the Buddhist region of Mithila from where the present example originates. Thus, local artists took license to combine elements of this Hindu god with others more closely associated with Buddhism. When comparing a fifteenth century wood carving of Chintamani Lokesvara in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum to the present example, stylistic and even iconographic similarities are evident. [3] The elaborate leafy branches of the trees, the posture of the central figures and the rendering of facial features are very similar in both sculptures, yet they are images associated with separate religious traditions. This cultural intersection gave rise to a unique and distinctly Newari style, of which the present is an exceptional example. Provenance: American Private Collection 1. For a south Indian example of Krishna in the Norton Simon Collection, also portrayed beneath the branches of a tree of life, see Pal (2003), no. 217. 2. See Pal (1985), no. S36; Huntington and Bangdel (2003), no. 49. 3. Krishna is typically portrayed with two arms according to Hindu tradition. The artist of the present example drew from both Hindu and Buddhist iconography to create a uniquely composite regional style. |