The Collection
The American Wing Ancient Near Eastern Art Arms and Armor The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing Asian Art The Cloisters The Costume Institute Drawings and Prints Egyptian Art European Paintings European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art Robert Lehman Collection The Libraries Medieval Art Musical Instruments Photographs Antonio Ratti Textile Center Modern and Contemporary Art

On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Pavilion with Krishna Paintings

India, Himachal Pradesh, Kangra

ca. 1800

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 693

This enigmatic painting is probably a faithful rendering of a puja room (a space used for prayer and meditation) belonging to a Kangra ruler. On the exterior of the small marble pavilion are nine painted vignettes from the life of Vishnu and his avatar Krishna, each illustrating heroic and mischievous exploits. The pavilion is set against a monochromatic blue ground representing sky, suggesting that it was located outdoors, presumably in a courtyard or garden within a palace complex. The ruling household of Kangra were devotees of Vishnu, and Maharaja Sansar Chand (r. 1775–1823) was particularly renowned for his devotion to Krishna.

Pavilion with Krishna Paintings, Opaque watercolor on paper, India, Himachal Pradesh, Kangra — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Pavilion with Krishna Paintings

Date: ca. 1800

Culture: India, Himachal Pradesh, Kangra

Medium: Opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions: Image: 7 1/16 × 9 1/16 in. (18 × 23 cm)
Framed: 14 × 16 1/8 × 3/4 in. (35.6 × 41 × 1.9 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: The Howard Hodgkin Collection, on loan from the Howard Hodgkin Indian Collection Trust

Accession Number: L.2022.30.15

Rights and Reproduction: Photo © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

The Met

Asian Art at The Met

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.