A Female Musician Charms an Antelope

A Female Musician Charms an Antelope

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The rugged, inhospitable terrain of Rajasthan, a favorite setting for Kota court artists, provides an unlikely context for a dalliance with the god Krishna. A prominent hunting tower—built to facilitate the shooting of animals driven into range by beaters—overlooks the sparsely wooded landscape. In the foreground, a female musician sits before the tower playing a sitar, while a mrig (a type of musk deer) stands before her, transfixed by the music. From the turret of the tower, Krishna gestures toward a leopard retreating over the horizon; another big cat climbs the hill.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A Female Musician Charms an AntelopeA Female Musician Charms an AntelopeA Female Musician Charms an AntelopeA Female Musician Charms an AntelopeA Female Musician Charms an Antelope

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.