Serpent Deities

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Serpent Deities

India, Karnataka, 9th century
Sculpture
Sandstone
28 1/4 x 11 x 4 1/2 in. (71.76 x 27.94 x 11.43 cm)
Ancient Art Council Fund (M.87.17)
South and Southeast Asian Art
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

Serpents (male: nagas, female: naginis) have been revered in India for over 2000 years. They are venerated for protection from snakebite, fertility, and prosperity as the guardian of gems....
Serpents (male: nagas, female: naginis) have been revered in India for over 2000 years. They are venerated for protection from snakebite, fertility, and prosperity as the guardian of gems. In this devotional representation, a pair of rearing semi-divine cobras each with three heads/hoods are shown in a symmetrical composition. Their smaller slithering offspring are beside them, suggesting that the stele was likely erected as a fertility icon under a tree in a village shrine.
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Bibliography

  • El Universo de la India: Obras Maestras del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, 2012.

  • Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Sculpture, vol.2. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1988.