Desvarari Ragini: Folio from a ragamala series (Garland of Musical Modes)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

All Indian paintings are begun with an underdrawing sketched with brush and ink, as seen here, where the bold use of line to demarcate the architectural forms gives the work its structure. The simply presented figures have a freshness that is often lost in a finished work. The identification of this ragini is based on a finished, inscribed painting from a set now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

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