Krishna driving Arjuna's chariot, North India, Punjab Hills, - Lot 169

Krishna driving Arjuna's chariot, North India, Punjab Hills, late 18th - early 19th century Gouache, gold and silver on paper depicting Arjuna in armor, seated on a gold-plated throne in a chariot driven by the crowned god Krishna, with blue skin and a conch shell in his right hand, and drawn by four white horses. In front of them, other soldiers on foot, on horseback or on elephants march to the right. Scene framed by a brown border. Framed. Painting size: 10.5 x 18 cm; page size: 21.5 x 28.3 cm Enlargement in the upper part, stains, polychrome and gilding marks, laminated margin. This scene illustrates an episode from the Bhagavad-Gita, the central part of Hinduism's great epic poem, the Mahabharata. In the first chapter, faced with Arjuna's despondency before the battle of Kurukshetra, Krishna takes on the appearance of his coachman to drive his chariot onto the battlefield. Private collection, Paris, lots 166 to 193.