This beautiful painted marble head is in the image of Krishna, one of the incarnations of the ancient Hindu god Vishnu. Krishna first appears in India in the great epic, the Mahabharata, and in the most remarkable of devotional and mystical hymns, the Bhagavad-Gita, in which Krishna offers salvation to mortal man through union with the world soul or Brahma. The legends of the Hindu gods youthful exploits rival those of the Greek god Herakles, and in Krishna’s amours with Radha and the milkmaids he surpasses even the amorous prowess of the Greek god Zeus. These loves of Krishna are generally interpreted as an allegory of the souls yearning for union with the divine. More than any other member of the Hindu pantheon, Krishna extends to his devotees the possibility of salvation through devotion to him. Here we experience his striking image sculpted in marble, the hints of original paint further dramatizing his radiant presence. Delicately carved rosette patterns on his headdress contrast subtly with the smoothly sculpted contours of Krishna’s face, adding visual and tactile qualities that serve to enhance his aesthetic beauty. A deeper spiritual beauty also radiates from within this sculpted Krishna, a quality that surely befits the image of this most revered of Hindu gods. - (PF.2264)

Antiquities
Ancient Near East