Unknown
Shiva as the Supreme Teachercirca 950-1000

Not on view

Gray granite relief sculpture of a crowned deity figure in a dynamic bent-knee pose, with multiple necklaces and raised arms, carved from a rough rectangular stone slab

Gray granite relief sculpture of a deity, depicted from the waist up, with an elaborate crown, multiple layered necklaces, and four arms raised in front of a carved aureole, showing finely detailed surface carving.

Stone relief sculpture fragment showing a standing figure with raised arms, adorned with a beaded necklace and circular pendant; weathered gray stone with traces of reddish pigment, smaller figures carved at the base.

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Shiva as the Supreme Teacher
Place Made: India, Tamil Nadu
Date Made: circa 950-1000
Medium: Granulite
Dimensions: 32 7/8 x 14 1/4 x 7 5/8 in. (83.5 x 36.19 x 19.36 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of James H. Coburn III
Accession Number: M.82.221
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: This is a representation of the Hindu god Shiva as the Supreme Teacher of yoga, music, and knowledge. This form of the deity is known in Sanskrit as Dakshinamurti (south-facing image) and is typically installed on the southern wall of a Shiva temple. He has an ascetic’s piled hair (jata mukuta) with his long locks streaming out to the side. He has a third eye of wisdom (jñana netra). He wears standard jewelry, including the Brahmanical sacred thread (yajñopavita) worn over his left shoulder. Shiva sits in a relaxed posture (lalita asana) with his right leg pendant and resting on the Dwarf of Ignorance (Apasmara Purusha). He has four arms. His lower right hand is held in a gesture of teaching (vyakhyana mudra). He holds a sacred manuscript (sutra) in his lower left hand. Although difficult to discern due to weathering, his upper left hand may hold a flaming torch and his upper right hand may hold a serpent or rosary. Two bearded sages on the right side of the base represent the audience to which Shiva imparted his divine wisdom. See also M.76.98a-b.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Sculpture, vol.2. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1988.
El Universo de la India: Obras Maestras del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, 2012.

Unknown
Shiva as the Supreme Teachercirca 950-1000

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Shiva as the Supreme Teacher
Place Made: India, Tamil Nadu
Date Made: circa 950-1000
Medium: Granulite
Dimensions: 32 7/8 x 14 1/4 x 7 5/8 in. (83.5 x 36.19 x 19.36 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of James H. Coburn III
Accession Number: M.82.221
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: This is a representation of the Hindu god Shiva as the Supreme Teacher of yoga, music, and knowledge. This form of the deity is known in Sanskrit as Dakshinamurti (south-facing image) and is typically installed on the southern wall of a Shiva temple. He has an ascetic’s piled hair (jata mukuta) with his long locks streaming out to the side. He has a third eye of wisdom (jñana netra). He wears standard jewelry, including the Brahmanical sacred thread (yajñopavita) worn over his left shoulder. Shiva sits in a relaxed posture (lalita asana) with his right leg pendant and resting on the Dwarf of Ignorance (Apasmara Purusha). He has four arms. His lower right hand is held in a gesture of teaching (vyakhyana mudra). He holds a sacred manuscript (sutra) in his lower left hand. Although difficult to discern due to weathering, his upper left hand may hold a flaming torch and his upper right hand may hold a serpent or rosary. Two bearded sages on the right side of the base represent the audience to which Shiva imparted his divine wisdom. See also M.76.98a-b.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Sculpture, vol.2. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1988.
El Universo de la India: Obras Maestras del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, 2012.