Building the Bridge to Lanka

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The monkey army is shown constructing a bridge to Lanka so that Sita can be rescued from the evil Ravana. Above, the monkey king Sugriva and his general Hanuman consult with Rama and Lakshmana, who sit in a nearby forest. Typical of late eighteenth-century Kangra painters, the artist devoted great attention to descriptive details and dramatized the composition by the use of the jutting rock formation that intercepts the composition diagonally, energizing the whole.

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