If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Mañjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, standing with two celestial attendants. This representation of Manjushri includes six arms, one of which holds a sword, while a narrow book (modeled after books made from palm leaves) lays across his upper hand. Manjushri is wearing an ornamented crown and necklace, and is encircled by a halo of flames.
Subject Matter
Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Manjushri, with two celestial attendants. Manjushri holds a sword with which he battles ignorance, while the book he holds in his upper hand acts as a symbol of his knowledge and profound insight. The halo of flames surrounding him serve as a marker of his power and divinity.
Label Copy
March 28 2009
Bodhisattva is a Sanskrit term that can be translated as “enlightenment being.” Bodhisattvas are able to escape the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth known as samsara but choose to remain active in the world to help others along the path to enlightenment. The numerous arms that sometimes radiate from Buddhist images are a simple and effective way of portraying the immense powers of a deity who can achieve many tasks simultaneously. Each object the deity holds indicates specific powers and knowledge. Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, usually holds a sword, with which he destroys ignorance, and a book, which serves as a symbol of his knowledge and profound insight. Here the narrow book (modeled after books made from palm leaves) lies across his upper hand.
(Label for UMMA Buddhist Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Subrahmanya stands on a tiered base which starts square and sloped, then is square and straight up and then round sloped with an incised decoration, then flanged out as a base for the figure to stand. He stands in an unbending pose and has four hands. Reading in a clockwise direction form the right front hand they are: in a reassuring gesture [abhyaya mudra], holding a vajra [a symbol of lightening], holding a symbol of a spear [actually what can be read as the head of the spear], and in a gesture of giving [varada mudra]. He wears a lung from his waist decorated with incised pattern and a lot of jewelry including belts with pendants, necklaces a decorated beaded sacred thread, large earring and an elaborate crown.
Subject Matter
Subrahmanya stands on a tiered base which starts square and sloped, then is square and straight up and then round sloped with an incised decoration, then flanged out as a base for the figure to stand. He stands in an unbending pose and has four hands. Reading in a clockwise direction form the right front hand they are: in a reassuring gesture [abhyaya mudra], holding a vajra [a symbol of lightening], holding a symbol of a spear [actually what can be read as the head of the spear], and in a gesture of giving [varada mudra]. He wears a lung from his waist decorated with incised pattern and a lot of jewelry including belts with pendants, necklaces a decorated beaded sacred thread, large earring and an elaborate crown.
Label Copy
March 28, 2009
From his bulging belly to his gracefully modeled nose, this figure of Shiva’s son Subrahmanya reflects bronze casting techniques perfected over centuries in India. Like most bronze icons made for use in temples and home shrines, it was created through the lost wax method, a process that became highly refined between the ninth and thirteenth centuries under South India’s Chola kings. The process combines sculpture, ceramics, and metallurgy: images are molded—whole or in parts—in beeswax and tree resin; next, details such as jewelry and fabric patterns are added with a wooden chisel; and finally, the wax model is encased in clay and baked. The completed mold is filled with a heated alloy of copper, lead, and tin. Once cool, the mold is broken to reveal the image. Each bronze is unique, since the molds can only be used once; in some images, finishing work with a chisel contributes yet another layer of individualized craftsmanship.
(Label for UMMA South and Southeast Asia Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Shiva stands on a tiny base with little feet in a strict unbending stance. The body is elongated with a small waist, the hips billowing out and tapering in a stylized way to the feet. He has broad shoulders and has four arms. Reading in a clockwise direction from the right front hand, he holds, a sword, another sword, a bow and a shield. He wears a lot of jewelry, necklaces that cover his entire chest, at least three belts with pendant decorations and what appears to be a bustle like garment that billows out from his waist and has a beaded border that curves down across his legs below his knees. He wears large earrings and a crown decorated with a disk for the sun and crescent for the moon. He has large wide opened eyes and what almost looks like two sets of eyebrows, a dot where his third eye should be and a luxurious moustache.
Subject Matter
Unlike the elegant and courtly figures of Shiva and Parvati produced in northeast India six centuries earlier (also on view in the exhibition), these two figures bristle with a fierce energy. The style seen here is unique to the region of Pudukottai in Tamil Nadu, in the far south of the subcontinent. There are many such guardian figures with sword and shield found throughout the south in both metal and terracotta; this pair can be identified as Shiva and Parvati by Parvati’s small cup, probably a kapala or skull cup, which refers to Shaivite ascetic practices.
Label Copy
March 28, 2009
The form and attributes of an Indian image—its posture, gestures, and hand-held objects—provide a physical body for the deity that represents its essence. Within this context, stylistic variations might be viewed as a form of adornment, much like the real garments and jewelry that worshipers place upon bronzes taken out in ritual procession. The style expressed in these two bronzes is unique to the region of Pudukottai in Tamil Nadu, India’s southernmost state. Both figures are represented in a stiff, vertical pose with straight legs bound closely together. The pair’s symbolic features are reduced, yet they may be identified by Parvati’s skull cap, which refers to Shiva’s ascetic nature. Here, Shiva bears general weapons—two swords, a bow, and a shield—and is draped in a feast of jewelry laid out in rhythmic waves against his body’s elongated surface. Parvati is presented in a strict, unbending pose that echoes her partner’s vertical form. Though her jewelry is simple, great attention has been devoted to the weblike belt that falls from her waist to settle gracefully against the fishbone striations of her skirt.
(Label for UMMA South and Southeast Asia Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
This miniature-scale altarpiece presents the entire cast of twenty-four jinas. All are shown as “sky-clad,” marking them as images related to the Digambara sect. The fact that all the jinas look alike, apart from scale and placement, expresses an important doctrinal point: the role of a jina is not to develop a personal philosophy or even to put a personal stamp on inherited beliefs, but to transmit an existing teaching.
Small bronze images such as those seen here would be placed in a special niche in a home or offered as a donation to a temple.
Exhibited in "Divine Encounters, Earthly Pleasures: Twenty Centuries of Indian Art," 12/12/03-2/22/04.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Vishnu stands on a base consisting of a flat square element topped with a series of five round rings. He stands in an unbending pose and has four arms. Reading clockwise from his front right hand, he is in varada mudra, holds a discus, holds a conch, and is on his hip. He wears a decorated lower garment flared out on either side in a pattern. He wears a decorated belt and necklaces, a sacred thread and shoulder loops, bracelets and armlets, earrings and a crown. The jewelry and crown is highlighted with gold paint as is his clothing and the two attributes.
Subject Matter
Vishnu is one of the principal gods of Hinduism, along with Shiva and the goddess, and commands a large following. He is often depicted with four arms and consistently carries four attributes: the discus, conch, club and lotus.
Three bronzes form a group: Vishnu 1978/2.123, Bhudevi 1978/2.132 and Shridevi 1978/2.131
Label Copy
March 28, 2009
“So my mind touches the lotus feet of Ranga’s Lord (Vishnu), delights in his fine calves, clings to his twin thighs and, slowly rising, reaches the navel.” It was in sensual, even erotic, terms such as these that poet–saints described the effects of Vishnu’s image almost a millennium ago. The image was believed to capture the essence of the deity, and such ecstatic contemplation of the god’s physical body was seen as an important means of approaching the divine. This small bronze image of Vishnu was clearly beloved by its beholders; its face and torso shine from the hands of devotees who rubbed it repeatedly, anointing it with oils and sweet fragrances. Vishnu is portrayed as a resplendent king, his body straight and symmetrical in contrast to the sinuous bodies of his two consorts, who are drawn to his magnificence.
(Label for UMMA South and Southeast Asia Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
