The artwork was in possession of Jagdish Mittal in Hyderabad, Telangana, India till 1968. It was then acquired by Edwin Binney in San Diego, California and remained in his possession from 10 November 1968 to 27 August 1990. Since 27 August 1990, the artwork has been held by the San Diego Museum of Art in San Diego, California.
This miniature painting is attributed to artist Laharu of Chamba and is dated to 1755 AD. It is from the Pahari school of art. In such artworks, the intimate bond between Krishna and Radha serves as a metaphor for the desire of soul to unite with the Divine. Here Krishna is shown wearing a pitambara (yellow lower garment), with a dark greyish-blue skin, a jewel-encrusted crown (mukut) adorned with a peacock feather and lotuses, and a long garland. Radha is depicted sitting beside him dressed in a traditional patterned red ghagra (skirt), pink odhani (veil) draped over her head adorned with gold jewellery. Krishna extends his left arm over the cushion and holds a pink lotus bud in his right hand. Radha is faced directly towards him while both gaze at each other. They are shown on a terrace, sitting on a patterned rug. Above them hangs a draped curtain which is supported by white carved pillars. On the right, a multi-storied pink brick architectural structure with a latticed window (jali) and an arched decoration is shown. In the background, a dense forest with dark green trees and a few subtle golden blossoms can be noticed. The painting is highly geometrical and is almost split into several units. Laharu has used bright colours such as the vibrant yellow of Krishna’s attire and the deep red of Radha’s skirt which stand out against the dull pink architecture and the off-white backdrop. The bright colours seen in this painting are a typical feature of Pahari paintings. Overall, this painting depicts a moment of intimate conversation or reunion following a period of separation or misunderstanding. Krishna’s gesture of offering or holding a lotus flower signifies purity and devotion and Radha’s gaze is reflective of her deep affection.
Unlike most of the contemporaries among the Pahari miniature painters, the ones belonging to the Kangra and Basohli styles, who preferred to paint their paintings in tranquil and romantic landscape settings with beautiful undulations of mountains and lush vegetation, Laharu prefers grand architecture over nature in his paintings. While his contemporaries used realistic background for making an impression of space in their paintings, Laharu used either a flat background or even a monochrome background. Nature thus becomes a mere element in his paintings.
