The Sanskrit word "linga" means "sign," and the Hindu god Shiva is commonly worshiped in this form. This elaborate lingam is carved with four heads, which face in the four cardinal directions. A fifth head is implicit in the smooth dome of the lingam and symbolizes the ultimate and abstract form of the supreme being. Shiva's cosmogonic aspects are both male and female, angry and benign.
Details
- Title: Shivalingam with Four Faces
- Date: c. 900
- Medium: Sandstone
- Dimensions: 22-1/2 x 17 x 17 in. (57.2 x 43.2 x 43.2 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1972.11.2.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
- Knoke, Christine, Minerva, fig. 10 p. 29
- Dye III, Joseph M., Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, 1988, fig. 9 p. 27
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 784 p. 338
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