"Radha with Her Confidant, Pining for Krishna", Folio from the "Second" or "Tehri Garhwal" Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd)

"Radha with Her Confidant, Pining for Krishna", Folio from the "Second" or "Tehri Garhwal" Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The painting illustrates a scene from the literary masterpiece, the Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd) composed by the poet Jayadeva in the 12th century. The painting depicts Radha and her sakhi (friend) in an idyllic hilly setting, the sacred landscape of Braj (setting of the Krishna legends) with a flowing river in the background and flowering trees all around. 　 Radha clutches at a tree with pink blossoms assuming a grief-stricken pose, as the sakhi listens or sings, as described in the text : "The god of love increased her ordeal, / Tormenting her with fevered thoughts, / And her friend sang to heighten the mood."

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

"Radha with Her Confidant, Pining for Krishna", Folio from the "Second" or "Tehri Garhwal" Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd)"Radha with Her Confidant, Pining for Krishna", Folio from the "Second" or "Tehri Garhwal" Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd)"Radha with Her Confidant, Pining for Krishna", Folio from the "Second" or "Tehri Garhwal" Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd)"Radha with Her Confidant, Pining for Krishna", Folio from the "Second" or "Tehri Garhwal" Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd)"Radha with Her Confidant, Pining for Krishna", Folio from the "Second" or "Tehri Garhwal" Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd)

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.