On view
South Asian Art
Radha watching a storm,
1824
Mohammadi (Mohammad Bax), active late 18th–early 19th century
Indian
2022-41
Radha, the chief consort of Krishna and one of the most important goddesses in Hinduism, stands on the veranda of an elegant building with three attendants. The figures are dressed in lavishly decorated textiles, with the most luxurious reserved for Radha. She looks back at her companions, extending an index finger from a henna-painted hand to gesture at the turbulent sky, full of billowing clouds and lightning bolts accented in gold. This image narrates Radha’s hopes that the arrival of rain will hasten the return of her ever-wayward lover, Krishna. In the foreground, a peacock stands at the left, its head twisted back to regard Radha. The peacock signifies the arrival of the rainy season and, as a symbol for royalty and power, the absence of Krishna.
Information
Title
Radha watching a storm
Dates
1824
Maker
Medium
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold
Dimensions
24 × 17 cm (9 7/16 × 6 11/16 in.)
folio: 30.2 × 25.1 cm (11 7/8 × 9 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund
Object Number
2022-41
Place Made
Asia, India, Himachal Pradesh, Mandi
Signatures
Signed Mohammadi [Mohammad Bax, active late 18th – early 19th century in the courts of Kangra, then Mandi]
Culture
Period
Type
Collection of Theo Brown and Paul Woner, San Francisco, 1970s–1982; Private Collection, Los Angeles, 1982–2018; [Bonhams, New York, Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art: Including Selections from the Elizabeth and Willard Clark Collection, March 19, 2018, lot 3106]; purchased by [Kapoor Galleries], 2019–2022; acquired by the Princeton University Art Museum, 2022.
