The Flame and the Lotus: Indian and Southeast Asian Art from the Kronos Collections

The Kronos collection of Indian and Southeast Asian art owned by Steven M Kossak, New York, stands unquestionably in the front rank of the newer generation of collections. It has been assembled with the primary purpose of exemplifying the apex of the artistic traditions of the culture of South Asian, and was never envisioned as an attempt to include a representative example of every major art historical period. Its scope, like any other collection's, was limited by the available material and the unpredictability of the art market, but this collection has been more than usually responsive to the opportunities of the specific moment. There has been a boldness in its formation that could only have come from a confident collector with a highly developed eye, refined taste, and a keen sensitivity to objects. While the collection is a compendium of rare and fascinating objects, the common denominator throughout is quality; and sculptures and paintings are included because they are aesthetically superior works of art, but this is not merely a one-dimensional assemblage of aesthetic delights. More important, it is a collection of the highest quality that not only instructs and, because of some of the remarkable objects it includes, provides a catalyst for charting new courses for future art historical studies.

This book was published in conjunction with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art that took place from September 20, 1984, to March 3, 1985. There are extensive catalogue entries on each of the seventy objects in the Kronos collection, including jewelry, metal, stone, and wood sculpture, decorative arts, elements of architecture, and covers and paintings from illuminated manuscripts. Also included are maps, a selected bibliography, and an exhibition checklist.