Narasimha

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Narasimha, the man-lion avatar of Vishnu, draws the demon king Hiranyakashipu upon his lap and disembowels him with his claws. This demon king had secured special protective powers through his mastery of yogic austerities, which meant that he could not be killed during the day or night, inside or outside, by weapons, or by a god, demon, man or animal. King Hiranyakashipu had repeatedly tried to kill his own son Prahlada, an unwavering devotee of Vishnu, and to avenge this wrong, Vishnu descended in this ferocious form to slay him. Prahlada and his wife stand in witness, their hands raised together in veneration (anjali). The palace setting in which this miraculous event occurs is devised as a Victorian courtyard, with highly ornate scroll work bracketing the scene.

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