Kama Aims His Bow at Radha: Page From a Dispersed Gita Govinda (Loves of Krishna)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Vegetation and architecture divide this painting into thirds. On the right sits Radha, refusing to be comforted. From the trees, Kama, the Hindu god of love, aims arrows at Radha's heart, while at the center, Radha's friend walks through the woods to bring Krishna (left) back to his lover. Paintings executed during the reign of Maharana Jai Singh (1680-98), like this one, tend to be executed more crudely and are more repetitive than earlier works. The maharana commissioned hundreds of paintings, and it is likely that his artists had to work quickly and with less refinement to keep up with his demands.

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