Radha's Friend Pleads with Her to Receive Krishna: Page from a Dispersed Rasikapriya

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Krishna approaches Radha’s pavilion, having won over her friend to act as an intermediary. The confidante tells how the peacocks cry in anger at Radha’s sulking lustfulness and how the clouds resound likes drums of pleasure while she frets in silence. The pages of this manuscript, dated to 1634, show female figures wearing striped garments while the male protagonists from this group often have sheer muslin outer garments and flat turbans. Given Malwa’s geographic expanse and our lack of knowledge of the court workshops, these types of commonalities help in recognizing regional production.

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