This colored drawing depicts a rare form of Krishna, Navagunjara, consisting of nine (nava) animal parts. In the Mahabharata, the Navagunjara form of Krishna (an avatar of Vishnu) appears to Arjuna after he has thrown down his weapons before the god. The painting is on European laid paper with an 1830 watermark of Waterman and Sons.
Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper