Kinnari (female celestial bird-bodied musician)
Date1075-1125
Maker
Indian
, Bihar or Bengal
Label TextMany types of semidivine beings act as attendants and celebrants in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology. Some are entirely animal, some human, and others combine characteristics of both. This musician, who rings a bell with one hand, has bird wings and legs melded with a woman’s upper body. Such celestial bird attendants are often called kinnari for female types and kinnara for male.
Object number64.115
Exhibition HistoryPortland, Oregon, Portland Art Museum, "Gift to a City: Masterworks from the Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection in the Seattle Art Museum", cat. # 78Published References"Gift to a City" exhibition catalogue. Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 1965, cat. no. 78Credit LineMargaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund
Dimensions14 1/4 x 12 5/8 x 4 1/2 in. (36.2 x 32.07 x 11.43 cm)
Overall h.: 15 3/8 in.
Overall w.: 13 1/4 in.
MediumBlack stone
Indian
ca. mid-9th century
Object number: 39.35
log in
