Surya, the sun god

Dateca. 10th century

Label TextIn this stele Surya, the sun god, is flanked on either side by his wives, Rajñi and Nisprabha. They, in turn, are accompanied by two vidyadharas, or celestial beings, and two figures of dawn that drive away the darkness with their bows and arrows. At the base are Surya's seven horses led by the charioteer Arua at Surya's feet. Between Surya and Arua is an earth goddess. Floating above in the upper regions of the stele are gandharvas, or semi-divine heavenly beings.

Object number45.59

Exhibition HistoryLos Angeles, California, Los Angeles County Museum, "Art Of Greater India", 1950 (1950) Portland, Oregon, Portland Art Museum, "Gift to a City: Masterworks from the Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection in the Seattle Art Museum", cat. # 79Published ReferencesChanda, R.P., MED. "Indian Sculpture" 1936, p. 66, pl. XX. Seattle Art Museum, "Annual Report 1945", p. 8, fig. 1, ill. p. 23 Los Angeles County Museum, "Art Of Greater India", cat. 1950, No. 48, p. 28 "Handbook, Seattle Art Museum: Selected Works from the Permanent Collections." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1951, p. 27 (b&w) "Gift to a City" exhibition catalogue. Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 1965, cat. no. 79 Seattle Art Museum, Washington, "Asiatic Art", Trubner, Henry, Rathbun, William, Kaputa, Catherine, 1973, p. 95

Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection

Dimensions36 x 20 x 5 in. (91.44 x 50.8 x 12.7 cm)

MediumBlack stone