Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana Manuscript

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the central palace, Krishna (blue skinned) meets Akrura. At right, Balarama (white skinned) helps Krishna with his chariot and then Balarama appears again, at far right, wandering off the page; linking these last two scenes is a river. Two minor characters run to the far left in a frame that has been squeezed into the text itself. Early Mewari paintings are often compartmentalized, with each section framing a different place or moment in time. Often, color changes reinforce the temporal divisions, and text and image are tightly intermingled.

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