Brahma-Shiva
In the Hindu pantheon Brahma is in charge of carrying out the work of creation. In this tour-de-force of South Indian temple sculpture, he is in a special regal aspect, with the only elements of his typical priestly appearance being the prayer beads and the matted dreadlocks piled on his head. Four arms connote superhuman power, and four heads convey the idea that his creative activities spread in all four directions. His upper right hand enjoins freedom from fear, and the lower holds a lotus bud associated with birth and the process of creation. His lowered left hand is held in the gift-gi...
Details
- Palette
-
Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- granite
- Dimensions
- overall: height 1.626 m, depth 0.48 m
- Department
- Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, this work was accepted in honor of Stanislaw Czuma in recognition of his long service to the CMA
Art Genome Taxonomy
11 tags
Subject Matter
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Deities and Holy Figures Both · 99%
The museum identifies the figure as Brahma, while the image visibly shows a multi-headed, four-armed divine figure with ritual attributes and gestures.
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Mythology and Religion Both · 99%
The catalog identifies the subject within the Hindu pantheon, and the image presents recognizable religious iconography including multiple heads, multiple arms, a lotus, prayer beads, and ritual gestures.
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Human Figure Visual · 99%
The sculpture visibly presents a complete seated human-like body with head, torso, arms, hands, and legs.
Visual Qualities
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Highly Ornamented Visual · 98%
The figure and pedestal are densely covered with carved jewelry, headdress details, drapery, and ornamental motifs.
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Symmetrical Visual · 92%
The sculpture is presented on a strong central axis with a predominantly frontal, balanced arrangement of the torso, heads, arms, and pedestal.
Medium and Techniques
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Sculpture Both · 99%
The catalog classifies the work as sculpture, and the image clearly shows a freestanding three-dimensional carved figure on a pedestal.
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Carving Both · 99%
The work is cataloged as granite sculpture, and the image visibly shows carved facial features, hair, jewelry, clothing, limbs, and pedestal ornament.
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Frontal Perspective Visual · 94%
The principal face and torso directly confront the viewer, and the sculpture is composed for a stable frontal view.
Geographic Regions
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Indian Art Metadata · 98%
The museum identifies the work as South Indian temple sculpture from Tamil Nadu and associates it with the Chola dynasty.
Materials
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Stone Both · 99%
The catalog identifies granite as the medium; the image shows a hard, continuous stone surface with carved three-dimensional forms.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Hindu Art and Architecture Metadata · 98%
The museum describes Brahma as a Hindu deity and identifies the work as a South Indian religious sculpture.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Brahma-Shiva. Cleveland Museum of Art.