Album of Hindu deities

Unidentified artists

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The 100 paintings presented in this album are a wondrous catalogue of the principal Hindu deities most widely celebrated in southern India. They are beautifully realized and with precise iconographic rendering, some of which display localized features that reference place-specific moments in legends celebrated in the region. Tamil Nadu had an important religious painting tradition, much of it applied to the plastered interiors of temple walls and ceilings and temple clothes. Neither have survived well in the monsoonal climate of southern India. This album, painted in Madurai in 1837 and despatched soon after to the USA, has escaped these depredations. It is in superb condition and a witness to the masterful skill and creativity of the hereditary painters of Madurai in the early 19th century.

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