A Guardian of Shiva
1200s
Maker Unknown
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
A Guardian of Shiva, 1200s. Southwestern India, Karnataka. Chloritic schist; overall: 113.3 x 49.2 x 29 cm (44 5/8 x 19 3/8 x 11 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1964.369 Guardians at Shiva temples sometimes appear as a form of the deity himself. Carved in the ornate style favored by kings of the Hoyshala dynasty (1026–1343), this four-armed figure holds a drum that indicates the ongoing passage of time in his upper right hand. In his upper left hand, he holds a staff surmounted by a decomposing head of the god of creation, Brahma. The soft contours of the face, complete with third eye of knowledge, temper his ferocity and create a gently alluring figure. A three-hooded cobra winds its way up the shaft, while another slithers through the sockets of the skull.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- Chloritic schist
- Dimensions
- Overall: 113.3 x 49.2 x 29 cm (44 5/8 x 19 3/8 x 11 7/16 in.)
- Departments
- Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Accession Number
- 1964.369
- Credit Line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Exhibitions
- Golden Anniversary of Acquisitions, Yoga: The Art of Transformation, Artlens Exhibition 2017
- Rights Statement
- CC0
- Museum Location
- 244 Indian and Southeast Asian
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