In this example from a Ragamala album, the Hindu God Shiva is depicted as the fierce or awesome Bhairava. Depicted as an ascetic, Bhairava wears an animal skin tied around his waist, and his body is smeared with white ash.
Although wearing a wide grin, Bhairava is adorned with many objects that impart his ferocity, such as his trident and skull-adorned staff. Bhairava’s militant alidha posture, one leg bent and the other extended, reveal Shiva’s willingness to engage in violence to cast out demons.
Details
- Title: Ragamala Album: Bhairava Raga
- Date: c. 1625
- Medium: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Dimensions: 7 x 5-1/2 in. (17.8 x 14 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation, Gift of Mr. Norton Simon
- Accession Number: M.1979.92.01.P
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
Treasures from the Himalayas: Sacred Treasures from Tibet, Nepal and Northern India
- Norton Simon Museum, 2003-05-30 to 2003-10-27
A Garland of Melodies: Ragamala Paintings from India and Nepal
- Norton Simon Museum, 2008-05-30 to 2008-11-03
Nepalese Ragamala Paintings
- Norton Simon Museum, 1987-04-09 to 1987-09-27
A Tale of Three Muses: Music, Poetry and Art in India and Nepal
- Norton Simon Museum, 1994-03-17 to 1994-09-04
- Widdess, Richard; and Gert-Matthias Wergner, Nepal: Old Images, New Insights, fig. 7 pp. 85-89
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 2: Art from the Himalayas & China, 2003, no. 150 pp. 10, 17, 19, 222, 226, 266
- Widdess, Richard; and Gert-Matthias Wergner, Nepal: Old Images, New Insights, 2004, fig. 7 pp. 29-39
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 924 p. 352
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