Singer and Sarinda Player

Sahib Ram

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This large drawing of two musicians is likely a preparatory study for a mural in the Jaipur palace that showed the raslila, a mythic episode from the life of Krishna where he replicates himself so that he can dance with his beloved Radha and all the gopis (female cowherds). The story is related to the concept of bhakti, or devotional love for the divine form of Krishna, in which all can participate. Sahib Ram’s patron, Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, is said to have performed the raslila dressed as Krishna, with his wives and courtesans playing the cowherds.

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