Krishna Anonymous

A richly detailed Indo-Persian miniature showing Krishna and Radha seated beside a river under a tree, attended by three gopis. Each figure is rendered with precision: one holds a tanpura, another offers a chalice, and the third fans the couple with a peacock-feather whisk. The scene unfolds before a domed temple and distant hills, set against a yellow cloud band containing Persian poetry. The verso bears moral Sufi prose in Persian Nastaliq, with a visible note referring to the month of Shaʿban, suggesting its original use as a manuscript treatise before reuse as painting support. TRANSLATION / ANALYSIS (FRONT & REVERSE) Front Persian inscription (approximate transliteration): 'Be yad-e to, golshan-e dil rā nūr ast, bi to, hame khāk-e ḥayāt, rang-e gham ast. Har ʿāshiqī ke be dard-e to zindah ast, ba marg-e khod, az ḥayāt, kam ast.' English translation: 1. By thy memory, the garden of the heart is filled with light. 2. Without thee, all the dust of life bears the hue of sorrow. 3. Every lover who lives by thy pain, 4. Counts his own death as less than life itself. Reverse selected translation: 1. The seeker of truth must empty his heart of worldly desire. 2. He who loves the form forgets the spirit and thus wanders in illusion. 3. When patience becomes habit, pain becomes peace. 4. The mirror of the soul clears when cleansed by remembrance. 5. The lover's wound is his proof, and his silence is his praise. 6. Written by a humble scribe, servant of love, during the month of Shaʿban. CONCLUSION A museum-quality Indo-Persian painting on reused Persian manuscript paper, merging Mughal, Rajasthani, and Sufi traditions. Its refined technique, bilingual inscriptions, and preserved verso text provide exceptional insight into 19th-century North Indian devotional art. Ideal for collectors, researchers, or institutions specializing in cross-cultural manuscript studies and Indo-Islamic art.