Vasant Ragini: Folio from a ragamala series (Garland of Musical Modes)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Here Krishna dances to the beat of a drum and cymbals played by women standing at either side of him. The new shoots emerging out of the pot Krishna holds in one hand and the flowering trees above the figures are iconography consistent with the ragini’s association with spring festivals celebrating the coming abundance. Malwa paintings of this period break space into sections, such as the central field of bold color behind the protagonists, and nature is often presented in terms of pattern, as seen with the band of blooming lilies at the bottom of the sheet.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art