Seated Ascetic, Deified King, Agni (The God of Fire)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This rare and enigmatic sculpture is difficult to identify because he has the hairstyle and jewelry of a king or the god Agni but holds the flask of a Brahman ascetic and sits with a strap across his knees like a yogi. Stylistically—especially the way he holds his right hand in abhaya mudra (a gesture of approachability)—this image can be closely related to sculptures found at the site of Kaushambi. His necklace can be directly compared to known Roman examples.

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