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Mithuna Couple, after Ajanta

Y. G. Srimati Indian

ca. 1950–52

Not on view

This study of a royal couple is styled after loving couples (mithuna) depicted in courtly scenes in the murals at the Buddhist rock-cut caves of Ajanta, in western India. Here Srimati consciously celebrated that great legacy of sixth-century Indian painting. Contemporary literary sources tell us that the palaces and grand houses of the era were adorned in a similar manner, but it is the murals that survive at Ajanta that best demonstrate the mastery of painting in early India.

Mithuna Couple, after Ajanta, Y. G. Srimati (Indian, 1926–2007), Watercolor on paper, India (Chennai) — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Mithuna Couple, after Ajanta

Artist: Y. G. Srimati (Indian, 1926–2007)

Date: ca. 1950–52

Culture: India (Chennai)

Medium: Watercolor on paper

Dimensions: Image: 12 5/8 × 12 3/4 in. (32.1 × 32.4 cm)
Mat: 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: Lent by Michael Pellettieri

Rights and Reproduction: © M. Pellettieri

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Asian Art at The Met

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