“What makes this acquisition even more special is that it is happening at a time when India celebrates 75 years of its independence and democracy,” said Randhir Jaiswal, the Consul General of India, New York. Jaiswal was talking about the Metropolitan Museum’s new holding of paintings and drawings from the British artist Howard Hodkin’s “Indian Collection Trust.” The Met is displaying 120 pieces from the Mughal, Deccani, Rajput, and Pahari courts dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries. These artworks include portraits of rulers, illustrations from books, nature and wildlife studies, and devotional objects. Be sure to look out for three pages that come from the early–Mughal “Hamsanama” series, reported to be one of the exhibition highlights. —Jeanne Malle