Narasimha Kills the Demon-King Hiranyakashipu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This monochromatic lithograph was printed in one of the first printing workshops in Kolkata (Calcutta) to produce Hindu devotional prints for commercial distribution. In this rendering, undoubtedly drawn by a trained painter, we see Vishnu’s man-lion avatar adorned with a crown revealing himself from within a pillar that has split open. The base and capital of the pillar are adorned with acanthus leaves, a detail familiar to the artist from Victorian colonial architecture in Calcutta. This rare impression may well be the earliest known popular print of this subject and was likely intended for hand-coloring.

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