Maitreya and Manjushri
Tibet
14th/15th century
Distemper on cloth
33½ by 26¾ in. (85 by 68 cm.)
FEATURED ART WORK
This striking Tibetan painting presents Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, and Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, seated in conversation. Created around 1400, the composition is built around a vivid interplay of brilliant reds, deep blues, and extensive raised gold decoration that enlivens the crowns, jewelry, and textiles. The two figures face one another in a carefully balanced arrangement that suggests thoughtful dialogue rather than dramatic narrative. Their monumental scale, luminous palette, and richly ornamented surface exemplify the refined draftsmanship and sophisticated design associated with some of the finest Tibetan paintings of the period.
Discover the extraordinary beauty and unique history of paintings made for Hindu kings in India’s Pahari (hill) region between the 1620s and 1830s. Pahari artists worked in radically different styles ranging from lyrical and naturalistic to boldly colored and abstracted. Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms illuminates new scholarship on the collaborative artist communities in which most painters worked. Learn about the political, cultural, and religious contexts of these forty-eight exquisite works, and look closely to enter a world of fine detail that delights and astounds.
Forty paintings are reunited from a widely dispersed pictorial series that presents the story of the Hindu divine hero Rama. The timeless tale, more than 2,000 years old, remains a cultural force across southern Asia. Potent themes of righteousness, vengeance, and loyalty are explored through dramatic episodes in which demons are vanquished, lovers are separated, and monkeys, bears, and a man-eagle save the day. Magic abounds, and emotions fly with warriors’ arrows.
Created with blazing colors for a royal collection around 1700, the “Shangri” Ramayana has been a beloved and enigmatic series among scholars and collectors for the past century. New evidence from previously unpublished paintings reveals many more artistic styles and triple the number of total folios than have been previously recognized. It argues in favor of a collaborative model of production involving artists from across the alpine region of Pahari India, which straddles the present-day state of Himachal Pradesh and that of Jammu and Kashmir.
India's Great Mughals includes 200 sumptuous objects—intricate paintings and manuscripts, lavish textiles, architectural elements, metalwork, furniture, arms and armor, dazzling precious stones, and more. Opulent works of art—many made in the imperial workshops—convey the power and tastes of the three most celebrated Mughal emperors: Akbar (r. 1556–1605), Jahangir (r. 1605–27), and Shah Jahan (r. 1628–58). From the tiniest jeweled objects to the monumental wonder of the Taj Mahal, this highly sophisticated and globally connected empire produced treasures of unparalleled splendor and magnificence.