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A Serpent Protects Vasudeva Taking His Infant Son Krishna to Safety

c. 1890

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

In the dead of night, Krishna was born to parents who were imprisoned by his evil uncle, the usurper king Kamsa. While a goddess compelled the guards to sleep, Krishna’s father Vasudeva, in the middle of a storm, spirited the newborn to safety in a cowherd village, where he exchanged Krishna for another infant. In the morning, Kamsa murdered the infant he thought was the child of Vasudeva, and Krishna lived to be raised by the herders.

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  • Title: A Serpent Protects Vasudeva Taking His Infant Son Krishna to Safety
  • Date Created: c. 1890
  • Physical Dimensions: Painting only: 45 x 27.7 cm (17 11/16 x 10 7/8 in.)
  • Provenance: William E. Ward [1922-2004], Solon, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2003.153
  • Medium: Watercolor, graphite, ink, and tin on paper
  • Fun Fact: In the lower right, the name Vasudeva is written in the Bengali dialect as “Bashoodeva.”
  • Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
  • Culture: Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat
  • Credit Line: Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward
  • Collection: Indian Art
  • Accession Number: 2003.153
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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