The depiction of affectionate couples, symbolizing both fertility and desire (kama) is a common occurrence in Indian temple art. Some of the boldest representations, both thematically and sculpturally, such as this example, were carved for the great Sun temple at Konarak in Orissa.
Details
- Title: Amorous Couple (Mithuna)
- Date: 13th century
- Medium: Brown gneiss
- Dimensions: overall: 69 x 28 x 22 in. (175.3 x 71.1 x 55.9 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1976.04.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
- Rawson, Philip, The Art of Tantra, 1973, no. 12 pp. 30, 33
- Newman, Richard, The Stone Sculpture of India: A Study of the Materials Used by Indian Sculptors from circa Second Century B. C. to the Sixteenth Century, 1984,
- Donaldson, Thomas E., Hindu Temple Art of Orissa, 1987, p. 1410
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, fig. 11, no. 161 pp. 19, 206
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1334 p. 395
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