Sacrificial Fire, from the "Tula Ram" Bhagavata Puranac. 1720 · Study 1990.40

Context from the museum

The evil king Kamsa organized a fire sacrifice in order to bring about the death of his brother-in-law, Vasudeva, father of the Hindu god incarnated as Krishna. The four-armed god of creation, Brahma, attends at the upper left with the sage, or holy man, Narada at the upper right. Scholars have linked the copious floral motifs throughout this dispersed series with textile patterns. This series was created in a port city, the center of flourishing international textile trade.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

The sage Narada in the upper right corner plays a stringed instrument called a vina .

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected overall measurement for Sacrificial Fire, from the "Tula Ram" Bhagavata Purana is 21.5 cm wide and 25.4 cm high, equivalent to approximately 8.5 × 10.0 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.85:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.05 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 7.2% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 139.3 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Sacrificial Fire, from the "Tula Ram" Bhagavata Purana in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 21.5 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?