The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Shiva and Parvati

Shiva and Parvati

c. 950–60
(900–1200s))
bronze
Base: 21.6 x 79.5 x 24.9 cm (8 1/2 x 31 5/16 x 9 13/16 in.); Part 1: 81.9 x 48.7 cm (32 1/4 x 19 3/16 in.); Part 2: 65.1 x 16.5 cm (25 5/8 x 6 1/2 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1961.94
Location: 244 Indian and Southeast Asian

Did You Know?

The posts on the sides of the pedestal once supported a halo that surrounded both figures.

Description

Bronze sculptures made during the Chola period (800s–1200s) are among the most celebrated and popular art forms of the Indian tradition, and the 10th century marks their flourishing peak. The sensual renditions of attenuated, youthful, and athletic forms are barely covered by garments and ornaments that move, yet cling to the bodies. The figures stand with a natural ease, and the volumes have been so skillfully rendered by the artists that they appear to be capable of walking the earth. Their serene and smiling expressions are completely idealized, leaving no mistake that these are gods, not humans.
  • ?–1961
    (William H. Wolff [1906–1991], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1961–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review 1961.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 48, no. 9, 1961, pp. 219–251. Mentioned: no. 49, p. 220, 249; Reproduced: no. 49, p. 221 25142473
    "Annual Report for 1961.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 49, no. 6, 1962, pp. 115–145. Mentioned: p. 130
    Master Bronzes of India: The Art Institute of Chicago ... [et al]. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1965. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 26
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 235 archive.org
    National Gallery of Canada, and Expo (International Exhibitions Bureau). Terre Des Hommes: Exposition Internationale Des Beaux-Arts, 28 Avril-27 Octobre 1967 [ = Man and His World, International Fine Arts Exhibition, Expo 67, Montreal, Canada, 28 April-27 October 1967]. Montréal: Expo 67, 1967. pp. 352–353, no. 167
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 235 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 299 archive.org
    Kramrisch, Stella. Manifestations of Shiva. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1981. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 100, pp. 122–123
    Dehejia, Vidya, Richard H. Davis, Irā Nākacāmi, and Karen Pechilis. The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India. New York: American Federation of Arts, 2002. Reproduced: cat. no. 5, pp. 106 (back) and 107 (front)
    Fernando, Christopher, Vivian Kung Haga, and Chantal Legros. Beyond Beauty: What Is Real Beauty?. San Diego, CA: Museum of Photographic Arts, 2005. Reproduced
    Branfoot, Crispin. "Processions and Presence: Bronze Sculptures from the Temples of Southern India." Arts of Asia vol. 36 no. 6 (2006). Reproduced: p. 71, fig. 10
    Dehejia, Vidya. Chola: Sacred Bronzes of Southern India. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 2006. Reproduced: cat. no. 3, pp. 52-55
    Locke, Adrian K. "Divine Beauty: Sacred Medieval Bronzes from Southern India." Minerva vol. 18 no. 1 (January-February 2007): p. 22. Reproduced: p. 22, fig. 3
    Donaldson, Thomas E. Síva-Pārvatī and Allied Images: Their Iconography and Body Language. New Delhi: D.K. Printworld, 2007. Mentioned: fig. 216, pp. 261 and 278; Reproduced: fig. 216, p. 261
    Dehejia, Vidya. The Body Adorned: Dissolving Boundaries between Sacred and Profane in India's Art. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009. Reproduced: p. 117, fig. 37
    Dehejia, Vidya. The Thief Who Stole My Heart: The Material Life of Sacred Bronzes from Chola India, 855-1280. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2021. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 14-16, 109-110
  • Shiva and His Many Incarnations. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (6/24/2007).
    Chola: Sacred Bronzes of Southern India. Royal Academy of Arts, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (organizer) (November 11, 2006-February 25, 2007).
    The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India. National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, DC (November 10, 2002-March 9, 2003); The Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX (April 4-June 15, 2003); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 6-September 14, 2003).
    Dance of the Gods: Indian Art Inspired by Music. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-December 8, 1996).
    Man and His World. Expo 67, Montreal, Canada (organizer) (April 27-October 28, 1967).
    Master Bronzes of India. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (September 3-October 10, 1965); William Rockhill Nelson Gallery, Kansas City, MO (October 21-December 19, 1965); The Cleveland Museum of Art (January 19-February 27, 1966); The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (October 12-December 11, 1966).
    Year in Review (1961). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 1-26, 1961).
  • {{cite web|title=Shiva and Parvati|url=false|author=|year=c. 950–60|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1961.94