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Nitai and Gaur
c. 1890
- Medium
- Gum tempera, graphite, ink, and tin on paper
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- Secondary Support: 50 x 29.6 cm (19 11/16 x 11 5/8 in.); Painting only: 45.4 x 27.8 cm (17 7/8 x 10 15/16 in.)
- Culture
- Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat
- 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
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
Pictured are Gaur (the Golden One) and Nitai (he who embodies eternal bliss), Gaur’s disciple par excellence. Gaur, also known as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, is believed by his followers to be an incarnation of Lord Krishna. Nitai is believed to be an avatar of Balarama and, therefore, the brother and friend of Krishna. They are depicted here with hands raised, chanting a devotional song.