Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Saraswati, Goddess of Learning and Music

1947–48
Not on view
A seminal work in the artist’s early suite of pictures devoted to Brahmanic subjects, Saraswati represents Srimati’s “patron saint” in her pursuit of all the fine arts. The goddess is shown as a beautiful, youthful woman seated on the open petals of a lotus and playing a vina. In her raised hand she holds a rosary (mala) and in the lower hand a book in the traditional palm-leaf format (pustaka), invoking wisdom and knowledge. The background of billowing clouds became a signature motif of many of Srimati’s later figure studies. The painting, a majestic rendering of a perennial subject in Indian art, was exhibited in Srimati’s 1952 and 1955 Indian solo exhibitions. It appears in several studio photographs of the period as the centerpiece of the artist’s household shrine in the family’s Chennai residence, where Saraswati Puja was celebrated.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Saraswati, Goddess of Learning and Music
  • Artist: Y. G. Srimati (Indian, 1926–2007)
  • Date: 1947–48
  • Culture: India (Chennai)
  • Medium: Watercolor on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 20 x 13 1/4 in. (50.8 x 33.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2009
  • Object Number: 2009.102
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2009 M. Pellettieri
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
Parashurama, Rama with the Battle Ax, Y. G. Srimati Indian, Watercolor on paper, India (Chennai)
Parashurama, Rama with the Battle Ax
Y. G. Srimati
1946
Dagger (Katar), Steel, Indian
Dagger (Katar)
Indian
18th–19th century
Great Indian Fruit Bat, Bhawani Das or a follower Indian, Pencil, ink, and opaque watercolor on paper
Great Indian Fruit Bat
Painting attributed to Bhawani Das
ca. 1777–82
Eklavya Practicing Archery before an Icon of Dronacharya, Y. G. Srimati Indian, Watercolor on paper, India (Chennai)
Eklavya Practicing Archery before an Icon of Dronacharya
Y. G. Srimati
ca. 1945–46
Candra pirai, Skin, iron, Indian (south)
Candra pirai
Indian (south)
late 19th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.