'Markandeya Viewing Krishna in the Cosmic Ocean' Canvas Cloth Print, c.1680

Provenance

The sage Markandeya moves through the dark cosmic ocean, the world dissolved around him. He had been granted immortality, but that gift becomes its own burden: even after universal dissolution, he must carry on alone through the void until the next cycle begins. At one point in the darkness he finds the infant Krishna resting on a leaf of the banyan tree, quietly absorbed in sucking his own toe.

The artist from the Basohli court has rendered the cosmic ocean as a web of concentric abstract shapes — a bold formal decision that gives the scene an otherworldly, geometric quality. Basohli painting, among the earliest and most intense of the Pahari schools, is known for its raw colour, expressive drawing, and willingness to push formal conventions in the service of devotional meaning.

The scene carries precise theological weight: when Markandeya looks into Krishna's mouth, he sees the entire universe as it was and as it will be. The infant holds the cosmos. Creation ends in the child and begins again from him.

Disclaimer:

• The frames shown are for display purposes only and are not included with the artwork.
• As these are made-to-order designer pieces, expect minor colour variations from the displayed artwork.