Loving Couple (Mithuna)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Depictions of loving couples are ubiquitous in early Indian art, occurring in stupa gateways and rock-cut shrines. Although their specific meaning is obscure, they are interpreted as an auspicious life-affirming presence. Another disk, perhaps from the same mold, was excavated at the early urban center of Sonkh, in Mathura, the Kushan-era capital of north India.

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