This delicate water-colour scene is attributed to the artist Chokha, who worked for Maharana Bhim Singh of Mewar in Rajasthan, and also for the ruler of the nearby smaller state of Deogarh. It shows the god Krishna in his youthful role as a cowherd, bringing the herd home after a day's grazing. This time of day is known as the 'hour of cow-dust' in India and is a favourite subject for paintings. The village ladies watch his arrival from an upper storey, and the gods Shiva and Brahma are seen in a grove to the right of the scene. The painting is unfinished, and it may be a preparatory sketch for a very similar painting (in an Indian collection) which is inscribed with Chokha's name and the date 1813 AD.
