Worship of Shiva and Devi

Description

In the shrine in the lower half of the painting, the Hindu god Shiva appears in human form along with his wife, depicted as a red goddess. Shiva has the appearance of a yogi, his matted locs coiled on top of his head, a chain of skulls around his neck. He wears cobras as jewelry, and his body is white with ashes of the cremated dead. The crescent moon perches at his third eye of knowledge. Six women bear offerings in vessels of brass—a pure material suitable for sacred food and drink. The narrative scene featuring a heroine at three moments of time remains unidentified.

Provenance

Dr. Sherman E. Lee [1918–2008] and Mrs. Ruth Ward Lee [1917–2011], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1967); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1967–)

Worship of Shiva and Devi

[]

early 1700s

Accession Number

1967.240

Medium

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Dimensions

Image: 26.7 x 20.3 cm (10 1/2 x 8 in.); Overall: 31.2 x 24.5 cm (12 5/16 x 9 5/8 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Sherman E. Lee