The Gopis Plead with Krishna to Return Their Clothing, Page from a Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of Lord Vishnu) series

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Krishna sits high in a tree with the clothing he has playfully stolen from the bathing gopis (cow maids). They look on with love, praying for union with the god in a passionate expression of bhakti (devotional worship). The artist has employed a limited Rajput color scheme in conjunction with elements of Mughal derivation, such as the foliage and naturalistic treatment of the water.

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