A Female Musician Charms an Antelope

The rugged, inhospitable terrain of Rajasthan, a favorite setting for Kota court artists, provides an unlikely context for a dalliance with the god Krishna. A prominent hunting tower—built to facilitate the shooting of animals driven into range by beaters—overlooks the sparsely wooded landscape. In the foreground, a female musician sits before the tower playing a sitar, while a mrig (a type of musk deer) stands before her, transfixed by the music. From the turret of the tower, Krishna gestures toward a leopard retreating over the horizon; another big cat climbs the hill.

Credit: Friends of Asian Art, Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Saul Gift, by exchange, 2001