Pichvai from the Deccan Plateau, India

Imagine waking up in the early morning to the soft billowing music of a flute, filling the air with a melody so moving you found yourself falling and feeling hopelessly, and helplessly – in love. One reliable source reported this exact event happening at the Water Palace in India; and when they traced the source of the music outside to a pillow covered platform situated next to a courtyard lily pond, no one was there although the music still filled the air. It was Krishna – the God of Love – playing a trick, reminding all those willing to listen that love is everywhere, in all things, at all times.

Even the squirrels on the tree nearby succumb to the sounds of Krishna's flute

This week’s New Arrival features a monumental Indian painting called a Pichvai. It depicts Krishna playing his flute to woo the milkmaids and cow herders, who represent us, the people. All are shaded by sweet scented trees while angels fill a moonlit sky. Look closely, even the squirrels on the tree next to Krishna succumb to his spell. Painted on hand spun indigo cloth and covered with copious amounts of gold and silver leaf, it comes from the Deccan Plateau in the center of the country. It is the rarest form of an already rare type of painting – as seductive as the music it wishes us to hear.

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