Shiva dancing / Artist Unknown, Nepal
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1995/1.86
- Title
- Shiva dancing
- Artist
- Artist Unknown, Nepal
- 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)
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Estate of Thakur Rup Chand
- 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.)
- Century
- 18th-19th century
- 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.
- Secondary Keywords
- arts
- arts and related disciplines
- asian
- associated concepts
- disciplines
- humanities
- icons
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by state or condition
- performing arts
- religion
- religions
- religions and religious concepts
- south asian
- styles and periods
- styles and periods by region
- 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
- 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
Rights and Permissions
Cite this Item
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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 May 21, 2024.