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Krishna Kills Aghasura
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
One of the many demons Krishna defeats during his childhood and youth is Aghasura, who assumes the form of an enormous serpent. With Aghasura’s open mouth stretching from the earth to the clouds, the cowherds of Krishna’s village mistake him for a mountain cave, and enter with their cattle. Krishna, recognizing Aghasura for the demon he is, follows them in, then increases his own size, choking the creature and bursting through its skull. Here, the yellow-robed, blue-skinned Krishna is depicted twice: first entering the serpent’s mouth, then victoriously rising from its head. Above, gods and celestial beings celebrate Krishna’s victory.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2001, by gift.
Exhibitions
| 2011 | Vishnu: Hinduism's Blue-Skinned Savior. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville; Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn. |
| 2001-2003 | Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. |
Geographies
India, Madhya Pradesh, Malwa (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Overall H: 9 3/16 x W: 14 1/8 in. (23.4 x 35.9 cm); Image H: 8 7/16 x W: 13 3/16 in. (21.4 x 33.5 cm); Framed H: 16 1/2 x W: 21 x D: 1 1/4 in. (41.91 x 53.34 x 3.18 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2001
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.890