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Sri Nathaji

c. 1900

Medium: Gum tempera on paper
Classification: Painting
Dimensions: Overall: 24.5 x 17.2 cm (9 5/8 x 6 3/4 in.)
Culture: Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Kota
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art, Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Credit line: Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward
Rights: Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it: Teens profiles and older: its museum says too little about what it shows to place it for younger viewers. How works are placed

About this work

This painted depiction of the black stone sculpture regarded by followers of the Pushti Marg sect as Shri Nathji, a living embodiment of Krishna, includes all the elements carved into the monolithic stele behind the figure. Snakes, beasts, and yogis occupy a wild, rocky landscape. Priests have dressed the figure in light garments, indicative of a hot season, and applied a turban, jewelry, and eyes, which look down upon devotees who would be worshiping at his feet.

This painting probably stood on a domestic shrine for daily devotions and served as a memento of a pilgrimage to Nathdwara.