|
12. Shiva Shakti Nepal 16th-17th c. gilded copper 9 1/2 inches tall (9 3/4 including base) |
This extremely complicated casting shows an esoteric form of the principal divine couple of Hinduism, Shiva and his consort. The base shows the individual vahana-s, or mounts of Shiva and Parvati/Durga, the bull and the lion, as well as a row of attendant deities. This type of sculpture is typical of the tantric Hindu tradition in the Kathmandu valley, which produced a corpus of extremely complicated individual sculptures and ensembles. Detail: 1 Detail: 2 |