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
  • 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, 1988, fig. 4 p. 24
  • Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, no. 59 pp. 96-97
  • Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 848 p. 344
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