South Asian Art Enhance the Collections
The South Asian subcontinent is home to some of the world's oldest civilizations. The northwest region of India was the center of the Indus Valley culture that flourished between 3300 BCE and 1300 BCE. This Bronze Age civilization existed concurrently with but was more widespread than those in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. After the demise of the Indus Valley communities, many kingdoms and empires rose and fell in the region that now encompasses modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. Their legacies can be seen in the rich mosaic of religions that originated on the subcontinent, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, as well as imported faiths such as Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.
The art historical record of this region is equally rich. By the time the Mughal Empire was founded in 1526, South Asia was home to an expansive and diverse artistic tradition. This tradition comprises distinctive regional styles along with much evidence of intriguing cross-pollination of motifs, compositions, and techniques from different areas, both domestic and international.
Recognizing the importance of the arts of this region, in the last decade, the Museum has given renewed attention to its collection of South Asian art. The first works from this region entered the Museum in the late 1920s. From that point on, we were fortunate to receive gifts and make a few select purchases of paintings, sculptures, and objects from South Asia. By 2010 our South Asian collection contained a few treasures but was uneven and in need of attention. We have since focused with renewed energy on expanding this area of the Museum's collections. Four recent acquisitions, made between 2010 and 2022, demonstrate one avenue of our collecting focus: portraiture and images that reify status and rank.
