Hanuman / Artist Unknown, India, Tamil Nadu
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1976/2.53
- Title
- Hanuman
- Artist Nationality
- Indian
- Medium and Support
- bronze
- Object Creation Date
- 17th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- India (nation)
- Tamil Nadu (state)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- India (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Tamil Nadu (state)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Leo S. Figiel
- Style/Group/Movement
- South Indian bronze
- Dimensions
- 13.5 cm x 5.08 cm x 5 cm (5 5/16 in. x 2 in. x 1 15/16 in.)
- Century
- 17th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Sculpture
- Primary Object Type
- figure
- Secondary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Secondary Object Type
- figure
- Physical Description
- Hanuman stands on a tiered base, which starts square and sloped, then is square and straight up and then round sloped and ringed. He has a human body and a monkey’s head. He stands in an unbending stance with his hands in anjali mudra, held up to his chest with palms together in a prayer gesture. He wears a diaphanous garment from the waist down with only the edged decorated and depicted with a series of belts and sashes hanging in front of it. He wears a number of necklaces and armlets. His face is very worn and far less realistic than the body with the large round eyes incised with eyebrows above and a large circle on his forehead. His mouth is a simple slit.
- Subject Matter
- The monkey Hanuman, often referred to as a monkey god, figures prominently in the epic, the Ramayana, telling the story of the incarnation of Vishnu and his war against the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. He is the most important of the monkey hosts and served important function in the story. He is often sculpted to fit into a set of sculptures depicting the god Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, and his brother Lakshman and his wife Sita. The groups sometimes signify the coronation of the god Rama, which is the end of the story, but sometimes the grouping is of them all standing. He has a devotional following of his own and is usually depicted as a human with a monkey’s head.
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- associated concepts
- hindu
- mammals
- named gods and goddesses
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by state or condition
- religion
- religions
- religions and religious concepts
- subject matter
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 883 x 1299
- File Size
- 75 KB
- Record
- 1976/2.53
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1976-sl-2.53/1976_2.53.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1976-SL-2.53:1976_2.53.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Hanuman; Artist Unknown, India, Tamil Nadu." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1976-sl-2.53/1976_2.53.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 03, 2024.
