In Nepal Hindus worship Shiva in various forms. In this delicate repoussé sculpture, his bow-shaped eyes (including a vertical third eye) and pursed lips reflect poetic features of Malla period beauty. The ornate, floral diadem that traps his neatly coiled dreadlocks, the floral disk earrings, and the beaded and foliate necklace all follow Malla fashion. Originally, this mask was probably part of a linga cover. The phallic linga is a symbol of Shiva and may be unadorned or decorated with only one or with four faces of the god himself.

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