Krishna Subduing Kaliya

A fine engraving by Pierre Sonnerat from his book "Voyage aux Indes Orientales et à la Chine" (full title translated to English; “Journey to the East Indies and China made by order of the king, from 1774 to 1781. In which we deal with the customs of religion, sciences & arts of the Indians, Chinese, Pegouins & Madagascans; followed by observations on the Cape of Good Hope, the Isles of France & Bourbon, the Maldives, Ceylon, Malacca, the Philippines & the Moluccas, & research on the natural history of these countries.”) Published in late 1782. This engraving is entitled in French “Quichena; Entertille du Serpent Calengam” and depicts when a young Krishna subdued the snake Kaliya who had poisoned the River Yamuna. Krishna, the God of love and compassion, is the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, but is worshipped in his own right.
Explorer Pierre Sonnerat (1748 – 1814), whose name appears to the bottom left of the image, was a French naturalist and explorer who made several voyages to south-east Asia between 1769 and 1781. In two volumes, the first deals exclusively with India, whose culture Sonnerat very much admired, and is especially noteworthy for its extended discussion of religion in India, Hinduism in particular. Volume 2 covers Sonnerat's travels to China, Burma, Madagascar, the Maldives, Mauritius, Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka), Indonesia, and the Philippines. The book is illustrated with engravings based on Sonnerat's drawings. Among the most interesting illustrations are Sonnerat's pictures of various Hindu deities. Sonnerat was also a dedicated ornithologist and bird collector, and the book describes and depicts a number of species that he was the first to identify.

The engraving measures 11.25 x 8.5 inches without the mount and 12.75 x 10 inches with the mount.