- Title
- The Hindu God Revanta and Companions
- Date Made
- 11th century
- Medium
- Copper alloy
- Dimensions
- 4 1/2 x 2 3/8 x 3 1/16 in. (11.43 x 6.03 x 7.77 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.86.61.1
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
Revanta (Brilliant) is the youngest son of the Hindu Sun God, Surya, and his wife Sañjña (or Saranya). He is the chief of the Guhyakas (Hidden Ones), nature spirits who dwell in mountain caves and protect forest travelers. Revanta is worshiped as a patron deity of horse traders and is represented as a hunter on horseback returning from a successful hunt. Perhaps due to Iranian cultural influence, and in accordance with his father’s attire in northern Indian representations, he wears boots, trousers, and a tunic. He is crowned. He carries a dagger or riding crop (kasha) in his right hand and holds the horse’s reins in his left. Revanta is accompanied by an attendant behind him carrying an honorific parasol (chattra) over his master’s head and three musicians celebrating the hunt. See also M.73.87.1.
A comparable bronze sculpture of Revanta, attributed to Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh, circa 10th century, was formerly in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
- Selected Bibliography
- Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Sculpture, vol.2. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1988.