85 - Bronze statuette of the child Krishna, the butter thief (Balakrishna), on all fours, adorned, with his head styled in a high, flared bun crowned with a blooming lotus, with a long necklace around his neck from which an amulet hangs, holding in his hand a lump of butter he has just stolen.

Bronze statuette of the child Krishna, the butter thief (Balakrishna), on all fours, adorned, with his head styled in a high, flared bun crowned with a blooming lotus, with a long necklace around his neck from which an amulet hangs, holding in his hand a lump of butter he has just stolen. L. 12 cm. Vijayanagar period (1565–1672) INDIA, Karnataka Krishna (“the Dark One”) is the eighth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, the deity responsible for the preservation of the world. He is said to have been born in the pastoral region of Vrindavan, near Mathura, in present-day Uttar Pradesh. A mischievous and boisterous child, his adventures are known as Krishnalila (“the games of Krishna”). Among these childhood pranks is the episode in which he stole butter from his mother’s and neighbors’ churns, which he then devoured with relish. This is why Krishna is also known as the “Butter Thief” (Makhan Chor). This iconography depicts him as a child on all fours, holding a lump of butter in his hand. Here he is naked but adorned with jewelry. He wears a tall, flared conical headdress characteristic of Tamil Nadu, as well as earrings, armbands, bracelets, and anklets. His chest is adorned with a channavira, while a belt embellished with dangling bells completes his attire. Provenance: Private collection, Brussels; listed in the 1986 insurance inventory (illustrated) Reference: Two similar 15th-century pieces in Pal, Pratapaditya. *Indian Sculpture*, vol. II. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1988, nos. 159a and b, p. 294 A similar piece is held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, no. M.72.1.16