_Krishna milking_
Illustration to the _Bhagavata Purana_
Garhwal, Punjab Hills, c. 1800
G.K. Kanoria collection, Calcutta
Like Plate 4, an illustration of an isolated episode. Krishna, having
graduated from tending the calves, is milking a cow, his mind filled with
brooding thoughts. A cowgirl restrains the calf by tugging at its string
while the cow licks its restive offspring with tender care. Other
details--the tree clasped by a flowering creeper, the peacock perched in
its branches--suggest the cowgirls' growing love. The image of tree and
creeper was a common symbol in poetry for the lover embraced by his
beloved and peacocks, thirsting for rain, were evocative of desire.
In style, the picture represents the end of the first great phase of
Garhwal painting (c. 1770-1804) when romantic themes were treated with
glowing ardour.
[Illustration]