Shiva dancing / Artist Unknown, Nepal

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Record Details

Accession Number
1995/1.86
Title
Shiva dancing
Artist Nationality
Nepalese
Medium and Support
bronze or copper alloy
Object Creation Date
18th century - 19th century
Object Creation Place
Asia (continent)
Nepal (nation)
Creation Place 1
Asia (continent)
Creation Place 2
Nepal (nation)
Style/Group/Movement
Hindu
Dimensions
11 cm x 8 cm x 5.1 cm (4 5/16 in. x 3 1/8 in. x 2 in.)
Primary Object Classification
Sculpture
Primary Object Type
figure
Secondary Object Classification
Ritual Objects
Secondary Object Type
figure
Physical Description
Shiva dances upon the back of a dwarf figure crouching on his stomach. This pose is not as typical as some of his other dancing postures. He dances on one leg extended straight down with the other straight up almost making a straight line. His torso and head are thrown back. He only has two hands, one holding a drum at his knee and the other a khatvanga, a club made of a bone with a skull at the top. He wears jewelry including a belt with pendent loops and tassels, necklaces including a heavy long necklace, armlets and bracelets and an elaborate crown organized with a number of peaks. On his forehead we find the third eye, another identifier of the god Shiva. A dense circular background consisting of three inner rows of round elements, the middle one may be composed of skulls, and an outer row of flame-like elements surrounds the whole figure, animating the image into a whirl of the dance. The whole sits on a circular base, plain with a flanged bottom section decorated with a lotus petal motif.
Subject Matter
Shiva is often depicted in a dancing form, usually interpreted as his dance of creation and destruction. The most common form has him in a very different pose, but other poses such as this one are sometimes found. This particular image suggests the destructive nature of the dance quite clearly. He dances on the dwarf of forgetfulness and he is holding a khatvanga, a club made of a bone with a skull at the top, a reference to both his destructive nature and the fact that he is dancing in a creation ground where we find such unburned items. On his forehead we find the third eye, another identifier of the god Shiva.
Primary Keywords
dance
deity
himalayan
hinduism
sivaism
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
1824 x 2664
File Size
647 KB
Record
1995/1.86
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1995-sl-1.86/1995_1_86.jpg

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Full citation
"Shiva dancing; Artist Unknown, Nepal." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1995-sl-1.86/1995_1_86.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 29, 2024.
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