Vinadhara (Shiva as Lord of Music and Knowledge)
Dateca. early 11th century
Maker
Indian
Label TextFor his devotees, Shiva is the ultimate deity who oversees the cycles of creation and destruction. This Shiva’s front hands once held a vina, a stringed instrument, identifying him as Lord of Music. Through rituals, priests transfer the energy of a stone icon into portable bronze sculptures so that the god can emerge from the temple. Wearing silk, gold, and flowers and riding atop a huge wooden chariot, this bronze would have brought Shiva’s blessings to all the city’s inhabitants.
Object number64.55
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.
Published References"Selected Works." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1991, p. 147
Rogers, Millard B. "Recent Acquisitions of the Seattle Art Museum," in Archaeology, Vol. 17, no. 4, December 1964, pp. 262-269, illus. b&w (265)Credit LinePurchased from the bequest of Charles M. Clark
Dimensions22 1/4 x 13 1/4 in. (56.52 x 33.66 cm)
Overall h.: 26 1/2 in.
Diam.: 8 1/4 in.
.7 oz (.02 kg)
MediumBronze
Indian
ca. mid to late 9th century
Object number: 67.134
Nepalese
18th century
Object number: 72.56
Indian
late 10th to early 11th century
Object number: 38.23
Indian
ca. late 10th to early 11th century
Object number: 39.33
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