Posthumous Portrait of a Queen as Parvati

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kings and queens were believed to have a divine origin, being human incarnations of gods on earth. It was thought that they were reunited at death with the deities from whom they originated. Posthumous commemorative royal portraits such as this one celebrate that moment coinciding with death when the temporal ruler is reintegrated with the original deity. In this case, an as yet unidentified historical queen is depicted as the Hindu goddess Parvati, the consort of Shiva. She stands on Shiva's vehicle, the bull Nandi, and is flanked by her two children. Standing in an unusual yogic pose is Ganesha, the potbellied, elephant-headed god who controls obstacles; seated is Karttikeya, the god of war and general of the army of the gods.

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