Maharaja Bijay Singh in His Harem

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Maharaja Bijay Singh is shown in the midst of his harem, nestling with one of his wives and listening to a musical performance. Several of the women, intoxicated by the performance, have begun to dance, and two more frolic in the forest beyond the marble terrace. The painting is beautifully rendered, and the colors are particularly rich-hot reds, oranges, and yellows are offset by cooler lavenders, pinks, and greens. Perhaps the most unusual element is the sumptuous textiles, not only the gorgeous costumes but also, and even more strikingly, the extraordinary rugs. Most distinctive is the large, lavender ground carpet with gold floral arabesques, red and pink leaves, and flowers, inhabited by multicolored parrots. A similar but differently colored carpet appears in another Marwar painting, probably by the same artist, in the collection of the Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge.

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