- Title
- Head of Hanuman, The Divine Monkey
- Date Made
- circa 14th century
- Medium
- Earthenware
- Dimensions
- 9 3/4 x 4 3/4 x 9 3/4 in. (24.7 x 12 x 24.7 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.86.346.1
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
This expressive simian head represents Hanuman, The Divine Monkey (vanara). Hanuman first appears in the great Indian epics, the Mahabharata ([War of the] Great Bharatas) and the Ramayana (Adventures of Rama). He served as the Monkey General who located and helped rescue Prince Rama’s wife, the kidnapped Princess Sita, from Ravana, the arrogant ten-headed demon-king of Lanka (probably modern Sri Lanka). The heroic monkey, who like Rama was also deified in later Indian culture, is honored for his fierce battles and staunch loyalty to Rama.
The LACMA Hanuman head may have once surmounted a large jar or water vessel (kendi), similar to M.90.180.2. The Divine Monkey is wide-eyed, mustachioed, and growling with prominent fangs. He wears a pointed crown and two beaded necklaces. His hair is curled up at the back in the distinctive "shrimp-claw" coiffure (gelung supit urang) symbolic of a noble warrior, which is also featured in the Indonesian puppet theater (wayang). The curved ponytail may have also formed a handle or faux handle connecting to the lower rim and circular support flange for a now-missing lid. Alternatively, the head may have been originally topped by a now-lost offering tray (see also AC1993.239.3).
- Selected Bibliography
- Pal, Pratapaditya. Icons of Piety, Images of Whimsy: Asian Terra-cottas from the Walter Grounds Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1987.