Radha, the Beloved of Krishna

Radha, the Beloved of Krishna

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this idealized portrait of Krishna's beloved, Radha, her features reflect metaphors of beauty found in Sanskrit literature: eye like a lotus flower, eyebrow like a bow, chin like a mango stone and sharp nose like a parrot's beak. This stylization stands in sharp contrast to the Mughal-influenced style, which had flourished in the small kingdom of Kishangarh two decades earlier, and demonstrates the radical aesthetic departures of the court painter Nihal Chand, who developed a distinctive "Rajput" style for his patron.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Radha, the Beloved of KrishnaRadha, the Beloved of KrishnaRadha, the Beloved of KrishnaRadha, the Beloved of KrishnaRadha, the Beloved of Krishna

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.