FEMALE NARRATOR:
This statuesque figure is a nagini, the female counterpart to the male serpent deity, the nagaraja. Naginis and nagarajas are semi-divine beings, half-human and half-snake. They guard the precious minerals, gems, and other riches stored beneath the earth. Renowned for their wisdom, superhuman powers, skill, and beauty, as well as for their quick tempers, they play a major role in folklore and in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain legends. Serpent deities are also associated with fertility, water, and tree worship. Today, they are still believed to inhabit pools and groves. Because of their capacity to shed their skin and renew themselves, they symbolize immortality and the eternal cycles of time.
Carved in high relief to emphasize the roundness of her body, this serpent goddess stands in an assertive frontal posture that gives her an air of authority. Her long legs and a relatively compact torso make her appear tall and columnar. Yet her subtly curved outline is reinforced by the sweeping coils of the serpent rising in waves behind her. Originally, the reptile would have continued above her head, with multiple hooded heads forming a massive canopy.
Serpent Goddess or Revati
4th century
Asia: India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura
On View
This sculpture represents a serpent goddess (nagini), perhaps Revati, wife of the serpent god Balarama. Serpent deities are depicted as human figures, with the exception of the reptilian coils and hoods that rise behind their heads like canopies. The five-headed serpent canopy of this sculpture is no longer intact. Images of nagarajas (male serpent gods) typically have seven-headed serpent hoods rather than five-headed ones, which are associated with naginis.
Details
- Title: Serpent Goddess or Revati
- Date: 4th century
- Culture: Indian
- Medium: Sandstone
- Dimensions: 66 in. (167.6 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1972.37.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Lerner, Martin, The Connoisseur, fig. 3 p. 197
Dye III, Joseph M., Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, fig. 4 p. 24
Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, no. 59 pp. 96-97
Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, cat. 848 p. 344
Dye III, Joseph M., Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, fig. 4 p. 24
Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, no. 59 pp. 96-97
Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, cat. 848 p. 344
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