Lakshmi, Goddess of Prosperity

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lakshmi, the sustainer of life who personifies abundance in all its forms, is central to the Brahmanical vision of the universe. She was among the first female deities in India to assume an independent status in the ranks of the gods. Here, she is enthroned and holds a citron (jambhira) and cornucopia. A lion, her vehicle, sits beneath her stool. Lakshmi’s iconography likely evolved from representations of Nana, a west Asian goddess with lunar associations. This icon is one of the earliest and rarest known metal representations of Lakshmi.

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