Lamp Bearer, Presumed Portrait of Lady Bharamayi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The female donor is named in the inscription as Bharamayi, who had this image made “by her own volition.” She is described as bearing three lamps to honor her family deity, who is not named. This portrait as lamp bearer was likely intended as an offering to the deity worshipped in the family shrine. There is no immediate way of discerning if her deity was Brahmanical or Buddhist.

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