Well, this is not the first dancing Krishna in my collection, and it will not be the last either. Krishna’s depictions are numerous. This form, with Krishna standing on his left foot and his right foot raised, is one of the most popular depictions.

Here, Krishna is holding a butter ball in his right hand, and his left hand is stretched out for balance. As usual, he is naked but for the ornamentation.

There is another version of Dancing Krishna in which his right hand is in Abhaya mudra (protection). The earliest dancing Krishna in that form dates to the eleventh century. The butter ball-holding Krishna was introduced later.

This dancing Krishna is about 9 cm tall and dates to the post-Vijayanagar period, possibly the seventeenth century. It is from Tamil Nadu.

Below are some of the dancing Krishnas in my collection. All but one, the top row rightmost, is published.