Seated Ganesha

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This image of Ganesha envisions the Hindu god as a plump child with an elaborate hairdo and an ornamented dhoti (waist cloth). As the son of Shiva and Parvati, he controls obstacles—their invention and their removal. He grasps an elephant goad and snakes in his two upraised hands. His lower hands hold his broken tusk and a pot of sweets. Intimate in scale and intricately detailed, this sculpture served as a cherished object of personal devotion.

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