Anointing of Kumara
India; Gupta Period
5th c.
sandstone
Height: 62.5 cm (24 5/8 ins)

A relief carving depicting the anointing of Kumara to the appointment of �divine general�. His name means son, adolescent or youth, and he is �the everlasting young son of Siva�. This figure, also known as Skanda and Karttikeya, is associated with warfare and holds a spear in his left hand, while two figures standing on lotus flowers pour the anointing oil onto his head. He is seated on his mount, the peacock, which pecks at a fruit in his right hand. Two musicians play in niches at his feet.

The back of the stone is also carved with a relief depicting a female figure standing in samapada, holding a lotus flower, with a diminutive musician and female attendant at her feet, and two flying garland bearers either side of her head. On the side of the stone is a small female attendant holding a water pot, suggesting that this block may have been part of a door jamb.

Comparable:
Gottfried Williams, Joanna; The Art of Gupta India; Empire and Province, Princeton University Press, 1982, fig 76.