The JSMA’s South Asian collections include representative works, mainly from Cambodia, India, Nepal, and Thailand, covering a range of media and particularly strong in sculpture.  Holdings include sandstone architectural relief fragments from the Khmer empire, Southeast Asian bronze dong son drums, Ghandaran stone and Thai gilded representations of the Buddha, and Hindu bronzes, including a South Indian Siva Nataraja, or Siva as “Lord of the Dance.”

The Indian paintings collection contains both traditional miniature paintings and works by twentieth-century artist Jamini Roy, who drew inspiration from Bengali folk art traditions for his depiction of Hindu and Christian subject matter.