Vasudeva and Devaki

The scene depicts the marriage of Krishna's parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, before the Vedic priest who performs the ceremony over the sacrificial fire. It is from a dispersed Bhagavata Purana manuscript of some three hundred folios recounting the exploits of Krishna. It was probably painted in ca. 1520-40 and, as few Indian miniature paintings of this relatively early date survive, the folios from this manuscript are of considerable historical interest. The style, with its bold blocks of colour, lack of spatial perspective and depiction of faces in profile, predates the introduction of Iranian influences to Indian painting during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r.1556-1605).