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Shishupala arguing with Rukmini’s father, Bhishmaka, from a Rukmini Haran
c. 1800
- Medium
- Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- Image: 21.6 x 30.5 cm (8 1/2 x 12 in.); Overall: 24.5 x 33 cm (9 5/8 x 13 in.)
- Culture
- Northern India, Pahari kingdoms
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Credit line
- Edwin R. and Harriet Pelton Perkins Memorial Fund
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
One painting from a series depicting stories from the life of the Hindu god Krishna, this scene shows a villain named Shishupala arguing with a king. The king, in purple, sits in front of an embroidered gold cushion. His daughter, Princess Rukmini, is engaged to marry Shishupala, whom she despises and calls a “thieving jackal.” Shishupala is angry, because he heard that Krishna is plotting to kidnap Rukmini and marry her himself. Courtiers look on with concern.
The artist shows awareness of Mughal costume, jewelry, and architectural forms, placing this mythological scene in a Mughal court setting.
