Bala Krishna - 02

This is a soft, almost pastel coloured Thanjavur reverse glass painting of Bala (baby) Krishna. Krishna is the god of compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one of the most popular and widely revered among Indian divinities. Krishna has a peacock feather in his hair and is adorned with numerous gold jewellery pieces including bracelets, anklets and necklaces. He is shown eating ghee (butter), which he was very fond of, from his right hand, and holding a large the pot of ghee (butter) in the left. Krishna’s parents Yashoda and Nanda stand on either side of him gentle pushing Krishna in his swing. At the top of the image is an arch with gold coloured foliate and pink flowers, as well as a yali (protective force) in the centre. At the sides are pale pink columns with green capitals, and the same colours are used in the bowl of fruits at the bottom, giving the image a subtle symmetry.