Head of a Yaksha
c. 125 BC
Maker Unknown
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Head of a Yaksha, c. 125 BC. Northern India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura, Shunga Period (c. 187-78 BC). Mottled red sandstone; overall: 48.2 x 40 x 35.6 cm (19 x 15 3/4 x 14 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 1962.45 Colossal statues of yakshas, male divinities who personify the productive forces of nature, were especially popular in the northern Indian region around the ancient city of Mathura. They were installed in shrines in parks and gardens, often associated with extraordinary trees. The red sandstone is from a nearby quarry, called Sikri.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- mottled red sandstone
- Dimensions
- Overall: 48.2 x 40 x 35.6 cm (19 x 15 3/4 x 14 in.)
- Departments
- Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Accession Number
- 1962.45
- Credit Line
- Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund
- Exhibitions
- The Art of India: Stone Sculpture, Year in Review - 1962, Tree and Serpent: The Evolution of Early Buddhist Art in India
- Rights Statement
- CC0
- Museum Location
- 242A Ancient India
Have a concern, a correction, or something to add?