Poet Jayadev worshipping Radha and Krishna,Basohli Painting by Manaku, 1730 CE
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Natural Dye |
| Current Location: | National Museum, New Delhi |
| Location History: | The series originally consisted of approximately 150 folios. Over fifty folios are in the Lahore Museum including the final folio bearing the colophon (I.66 0862/1925). Further folios are in various other public institutions including the National Museum, New Delhi; Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh (I 28, 41, 68, 72); Museum Rietberg, Zurich (RVI 990, 2107), San Diego Museum of Art (1990:1050, 1226, the second folio formerly in the collection of Edwin Binney 3rd). Four folios are illustrated in Goswamy & Fischer 192, no.100-4, pp.252-7. For a list of other publications which illustrate folios from this series, see Beach, Fischer, Goswamy 2011, p.642. For a folio depicting Krishna dancing with gopis on either side, which sold at auction, see Christie’s London, 11 October 1988, lot 85. |
Poet Jayadev Worshipping Radha and Krishna attributed to Manaku embodies the spiritual intensity and lyrical beauty of the Basohli school of painting. The composition transforms devotion into a vivid visual experience: the poet Jayadev appears in reverence before Radha and Krishna, whose divine presence dominates the luminous golden background. The painting’s bold colours, stylised figures, and expressive linearity create an atmosphere that is both mystical and emotionally charged. Unlike the naturalism of Mughal art, the Basohli style embraces symbolic abstraction, where colour and form carry spiritual meaning rather than physical realism. The radiant yellow ground evokes transcendence, while the intimate placement of Radha and Krishna reflects the devotional philosophy of divine love central to the Gita Govinda. Through its simplicity and emotional clarity, the artwork becomes a poetic meditation on bhakti, longing, and sacred union.