Description
This head is from one of the gods (devas in Sanskrit) who, according to Hindu myth, churned the primordial Ocean of Milk to extract the nectar of immortality. Using a mountain as a churning rod and a serpent as the rope, the gods on one side and the demons on the other vied to win the nectar. The gods prevailed and achieved immortality.
Provenance
(Spink Ltd., London, England, sold to a private collector) (?–early 1970s); Private Collection, consigned to Sotheby's New York after the collector's death (early 1970s–2003); (Sotheby's New York, NY, March 26, 2003, lot 28, sold to John and Maxeen Flower) (March 26, 2003); Dr. John and Maxeen Stone Flower [1928–2010], Shaker Heights, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (March 26, 2003–2011); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2011–)
Accession Number
2011.147
Medium
sandstone
Dimensions
Overall: 71.3 x 50 x 47 cm (28 1/16 x 19 11/16 x 18 1/2 in.)
Classification
Stone
Credit Line
Gift of Maxeen and John Flower in honor of Dr. Stanislaw Czuma