Siva Bhairava
ca. 13th century
In this terrible and fearsome manifestation, Siva has matted hair, fangs, and wears a garland of skulls. He assumed this form when he severed the fifth head of Brahma, the Creator. This was the most heinous of sins, and Siva then wandered about with the severed head of Brahma clinging to his hand as his begging bowl. The sin was finally expiated by the sacred waters of the Ganges in Varanasi. Even in this sinister form, Siva has his right hand raised in the mudra, or gesture of reassurance.
Gray chlorite
47 1/4 x 20 1/2 x 10 1/2 in.
Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection
69.14
Provenance: [William H. Wolff, Inc., New York]; purchased from gallery by Seattle Art Museum (Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection), 1969