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This painting depicts the Hindu god Krishna twice, once as a large central image and once as a small metal sculpture placed between the two sitting priests. Krishna is an incarnation--or the form in which a god appears on earth--of the Hindu god Vishnu. Hindu deities may have several incarnations, each one representing a different aspect of the deity's personality. Krishna is worshiped by more Hindus than any of Vishnu's other forms. Notice Krishna's blue complexion. His blue color is considered a sign of his otherworldly beauty.

This image depicts two priests performing puja, the act of showing reverence to a god or to aspects of the divine. An essential part of the Hindu religion is devotees--in this case the two priests--making a spiritual connection with a deity. Hindus make contact with the divine through objects such as the depicted Krishna sculpture. Look closely and notice the water poured on the Krishna figure. As part of puja, priests bathe the god and give it water. Hindus care for the image as they would care for the god.

This South Asian painting is part of the Museum's Edwin Binney 3rd Collection--one of the finest collections of Indian miniature painting outside India. Edwin Binney 3rd (1925-1986), heir to the Crayola fortune, began forming his collection in 1958. The collection consists of more than 1,450 images and surveys every major school of South Asian painting. A past member of the Museum's Board of Trustees, Binney left his collection to the Museum as a bequest.

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