Lot Essay
This is an exceptionally fine example of such large paintings on cotton depicting Krishna or scenes from his life. They were associated with a special cult of Krishna worship known as Vallabhacharya, fusing abstract metaphysical concepts derived from Vedanta philosophy with more lively aspects of human love through elaborate rituals. Pichhavai literally means "something at the back", as it would have been hung behind the principal image in a shrine and would function as a kind of stage setting. Compare another example at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, in Asiatic Art in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 1982, cat. no. 181, where it is stated that the dark blue background might relate to the rainy season and therefore specifically have been used for Krishnas birthday around that time.