Sculptures of the Hindu god Shiva were common during the Angkor period (9th–15th centuries). Shiva’s popularity was the result of the god’s indisputable cosmic power and association with fertility. To this end, Khmer kings of the Angkor period often claimed to be the reincarnation of Shiva on earth. Images of Shiva are easily identifiable by their iconographical attributes, which include the third, vertical eye, symbolic of his ability to destroy desire, and his mound of matted hair, a marker of his asceticism.
Sculptures of Shiva dating to the Angkor period typically reinterpret the god’s dreadlocked hair as a multi-tiered chignon, reminiscent of royal headdresses.
Details
- Title: Shiva
- Date: c. 925
- Medium: Sandstone
- Dimensions: overall: 72 -/2 x 32 x 15 -/2 in. (184.2 x 81.3 x 39.4 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation
- Accession Number: M.1980.19.S
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
- Lerner, Martin, The Connoisseur, fig. 11 pp. 202-203
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 3: Art from Sri Lanka & Southeast Asia, 2004, no. 140 pp. 103, 107, 174-176, 179, 196, 203
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 779; cat. 903 pp. 338, 350
Image reproduction permission may be granted for scholarly or arts related commercial use. All image requests, regardless of their intended purpose, should be submitted via the reproduction request form.
Images may be protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. Additional permission may be required.
Approved requests for the reproduction of an image will receive a contract detailing all fees and conditions of use of the image. Upon receipt of both the signed contract and full payment, the Office of Rights and Reproductions will provide the image. A complimentary copy of the published material must be provided to the Norton Simon Museum.